In addition to the leave of absence they are entitled to under article L. 7226-7, the president, vice-presidents and members of the council are entitled to a credit of hours enabling them to have the time necessary to prepare the meetings of the council and the committees of which they are members.
This credit of hours, which is flat-rate and quarterly, is set by reference to the legal working week.
It is equal:
1° To the equivalent of twice this duration for the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen;
2° To the equivalent of 60% of this duration for Board members.
In the event of part-time work, the credit for hours is reduced proportionately.
Hours not used during a quarter cannot be carried over.
The employer is required to grant council members, at their request, permission to use the credit of hours provided for in this article. This time of absence is not paid by the employer.
The time of absence used in application of article L. 7226-7 and this article may not exceed half the legal working time for a calendar year. It is treated in the same way as actual working time for the purposes of determining the duration of paid leave and entitlement to social benefits, as well as with regard to all rights arising from seniority.