France
Background information on industrial relations in France
- 28 Dec 1999
France: MEDEF proposes new social constitution<#PDF_LINK>In late October 1999, France's Minister for Employment decided to abandon the idea of funding the cuts in employers' social security contributions linked to the implementation of the 35-hour week by siphoning cash away from the budget of UNEDIC, the jointly-managed organisation responsible for the payment of unemployment benefits. Consequently, the MEDEF employers' confederation temporarily withdrew its threat to pull out of the management of social protection agencies, and at the same time approached the trade unions with a proposal to work together to develop a new "social constitution".
- 28 Dec 1999
France: Discontent spreads among managerial staff on 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>November 1999 saw further demonstrations by managerial and professional staff in France, seeking amendments to the bill on the second law on the 35-hour working week, so as to bring a real reduction in working hours for all such employees.
- 28 Dec 1999
France: CFTC holds 47th congress<#PDF_LINK>The French Christian Workers' Confederation (CFTC) held its 47th convention in November 1999, following a period in which disagreements had split its governing bodies. Alain Deleu was re-elected as president for a third term.
- 28 Dec 1999
France: Industrial action in public broadcasting<#PDF_LINK>November 1999 saw strikes in a number of French public broadcasting companies. The immediate issue behind the action was the implementation of the 35-hour working week in the sector.
- 28 Dec 1999
France: Industrial unrest linked to introduction of 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>December 1999 saw the final adoption of France's second law on the 35-hour week. The debate over the legislation and its implementation, along with concerns over employment, have prompted a major wave of industrial action affecting many areas of both the private and public sectors.
- 28 Dec 1999
France: 1999 Annual Review for FRANCE<#PDF_LINK>This record reviews 1999's main developments in industrial relations in FRANCE
- 28 Nov 1999
France: Managerial staff demonstrate in favour of the 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>On 12 October 1999, while the debate on France's second law on the 35-hour week was taking place in the National Assembly, three trade unions - CGT, CFE-CGC and CFTC - organised a demonstration of managerial and professional staff in Paris. The aim was to obtain an amendment to the bill's provisions on managerial and professional staff and achieve "a genuine reduction of working time" for these categories of worker.
- 28 Nov 1999
France: French unions take position on World Trade Organisation talks<#PDF_LINK>On 13 October 1999, France's main trade union confederations made a joint statement on the issues to be negotiated at the World Trade Organisation's ministerial conference to be held in Seattle, USA, starting at the end of November 1999.
- 28 Nov 1999
France: Demonstration for jobs receives strong support<#PDF_LINK>A national demonstration for jobs organised by the French Communist Party was staged on 16 October 1999. The rally received considerable support, though the Socialist Party and most trade unions did not participate.
- 28 Oct 1999
France: Part-time work in France: choice or obligation?<#PDF_LINK>October 1999 saw the release of a report on part-time work in France by Gilbert Cette of the Economic Analysis Council. The document sets out the current state of play on part-time work, which has to date experienced only very moderate growth in France and is for the most part imposed by "employers." The report proposes a series of changes to regulations designed to promote part-time working based on "employees opting for this arrangement." The challenges involved in implementing these changes are highlighted by two commentaries accompanying the report, which stress the importance of the social partners adopting an innovative approach, particularly in terms of developing bargaining on part-time work and creating a status for part-time workers which gives them new rights.
- 28 Oct 1999
France: Social partners oppose proposed funding of 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>France's second law on the 35-hour working week is due to come into force in January 2000. The government plans to fund part of the reduction of the working week through contributions from the social security and unemployment insurance funds, but the social partners who manage these funds are unanimous in their rejection of this proposal.
- 28 Oct 1999
France: Michelin announces profits and redundancies<#PDF_LINK>In September 1999, the French tyre manufacturer, Michelin announced both increased half-yearly profits and a plan to cut 7,500 jobs - representing 10% of its European workforce - over three years. The announcement sent shock waves through the Michelin workforce and French politics.
- 28 Oct 1999
France: Opposing demonstrations over 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>Two major demonstrations over the reduction of working time were held in Paris on 4 October 1999, in the run-up to the presentation of France's second 35-hour week law to parliament. However, the demonstrations, organised by the MEDEF employers' confederation and the CGT trade union confederation, had opposing objectives.
- 28 Oct 1999
France: Economic and Social Council renewed<#PDF_LINK>In September 1999, France's consultative Economic and Social Council was renewed for five years. It elected Jacques Dermagne of the MEDEF employers' confederation as its new chair.
- 28 Oct 1999
France: National Assembly passes 35-hour week bill<#PDF_LINK>On 19 October 1999, the bill on France's second law on the 35-hour working week was passed on its first reading by the National Assembly. This legislation, which should become law by the end of 1999, lays down new statutory norms for the duration of working time and continues a policy of reducing social security contributions on low-waged jobs.
- 28 Sep 1999
France: Second 35-hour week bill reopens debate on unions' representative status<#PDF_LINK>By making state funding for working time reductions contingent upon a company agreement signed by majority trade unions or approval by a majority of the employees, France's draft bill for a second law on the 35-hour week - issued in summer 1999 - has brought the issue of unions' representative status to the fore. Unions are split over the law's provisions on this issue.
- 28 Sep 1999
France: Managerial and professional staff and the 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>France's second bill on the 35-hour week, under parliamentary discussion in autumn 1999, will exclude many managerial and professional staff from the regulations on the length of working time applicable to all employees. Their maximum working time will be expressed as 217 days per year, with few restrictions related to the number of hours worked. These measures have provoked heated responses from the trade unions, which suggests that a lively debate will ensue over this issue in parliament.
- 28 Sep 1999
France: Unemployment falls sharply<#PDF_LINK>The reduction in the level of unemployment in France over the past two years accelerated during July 1999. This development has fuelled government optimism, but trade unions and employers' organisations were more varied in their reactions.
- 28 Sep 1999
France: Employee hostility play part in failure of BNP-Société Générale merger<#PDF_LINK>In late August 1999, France's Credit Institution Council ruled against the attempt by the BNP banking group to merge with Société Générale. In addition to the position of the financial markets, the opposition of employees played a role in the Council's decision.
- 28 Sep 1999
France: Report proposes new equality measures<#PDF_LINK>In September 1999, French MP Catherine Génisson submitted a report on equality between women and men at work, commissioned by the Prime Minister. The report, entitled "More mixing in the labour market for greater equality between men and women", advocates various measures to ensure "real equality."
- 28 Sep 1999
France: MEDEF summer conference reiterates opposition to 35-hour week legislation<#PDF_LINK>At its first summer conference, held in early September 1999, France's MEDEF employers' organisation examined the major questions facing French society and restated its opposition to legislation implementing the 35-hour working week.
- 28 Aug 1999
France: Bill on second law on 35-hour week passed in cabinet<#PDF_LINK>in late July 1999, the French cabinet approved the second bill on the 35-hour week, which follows up the first law on the subject adopted in June 1998. The new bill establishes a two-year "adjustment period", in particular for the question of overtime payments.
- 28 Aug 1999
France: Automobile industry expects public aid for new form of early retirement<#PDF_LINK>In July 1999, the UIMM employers' organisation and the main trade unions - except CGT - concluded an agreement on a new form of early retirement for workers employed by French automobile manufacturers and their subsidiaries. The agreement is contingent on public financing of part of the cost of the pensions, a question which the government is to decide on in autumn 1999.
- 28 Aug 1999
France: Elf shelves redundancy plan<#PDF_LINK>In late July 1999, workers at Elf Exploration Production in France, who had been on strike for over three months, were informed by the company's management that the redundancy plan proposing major job cuts had been shelved.
- 28 Jul 1999
France: Trade unions compare notes on the 35-hour working week<#PDF_LINK>On 7 July 1999, delegations from France's five main trade union confederations (CFE-CGC, CFDT, CFTC, CGT and CGT-FO) met to study the government's recent proposal for a second law on the 35-hour working week and compare points of view.
- 28 Jul 1999
France: Increase in minimum wage in context of 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>As is the case every year on the same date, the hourly rate of France's statutory minimum wage (SMIC) was increased on 1 July 1999. In light of the move to the statutory 35-hour working week on 1 January 2000, the government deviated from its practice of announcing a greater increase in the SMIC than that provided for by the legislation. The creation of of a wage supplement for those employees who have moved to the 35-hour week means that there will be two parallel monthly SMIC rates for some time.
- 28 Jul 1999
France: Renegotiation of banking sector collective agreement<#PDF_LINK>The collective agreement for France's banking sector has to be renegotiated by 1 January 2000, following the decision in 1998 by the AFB employers' organisation to terminate the accord. In June 1999, AFB tabled a draft of a new agreement, which has been deemed unacceptable by all the trade unions involved.
- 28 Jul 1999
France: Social partners adopt sickness insurance funding plan<#PDF_LINK>In July 1999, the joint employer-trade union administrative board of France's National Sickness Insurance Fund (CNAM) approved, by a large majority, a strategic reform plan. This package of measures is designed to reduce spending and improve the quality of healthcare. CNAM hopes that the government will give legislative effect to the plan.
- 28 Jul 1999
France: Collective bargaining in 1998 reviewed<#PDF_LINK>In 1998's rather favourable economic climate, collective bargaining in France was dominated by the reduction of working time, according to the Ministry for Employment and Solidarity's annual bargaining report, published in June 1999. Other trends recorded included: intersectoral bargaining falling off to an extremely low point; a recovery in the amount of sector-level bargaining at the end of the year; and considerable growth in company-level bargaining.
- 28 Jul 1999
France: 35-hour week agreement at RATP<#PDF_LINK>In July 1999, management and trade unions at the RATP Parisian public transport network reached an agreement on the means by which the company will move to the 35-hour working week.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: Government and social partners cooperate to tackle racial discrimination<#PDF_LINK>At a round-table meeting held on 11 May 1999 at the Ministry for Employment and Solidarity, the government and social partners launched a new stage in the fight against racial discrimination at the workplace in France. This initial meeting concluded with the unanimous endorsement of a joint declaration on racial discrimination tabled by the Minister for Employment and Solidarity, Martine Aubry. The Minister also proposed amendments to legislation, designed to make it easier to bring cases in the courts in the event of discrimination. The social partners made a commitment to work together to address all types of discrimination, though they unanimously rejected the creation of a new independent administrative authority in this area.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: Social partners react to 1999 NAP<#PDF_LINK>In May 1999, France's National Action Plan (NAP) for employment for 1999, based on the EU Employment Guidelines, was presented to the social partners during a session of the Committee for Social Dialogue on European and International Issues. Trade unions and employers' organisations gave their reactions to both the NAP and the consultation procedure.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: First 35-hour week law evaluated and second law outlined<#PDF_LINK>In May 1999, France's Ministry for Employment and Solidarity published an initial progress report on the 1998 law on the 35-hour working week, aimed at fueling discussions on the second law on the issue, which is to be voted on by the end of 1999. On 21 June, Martine Aubry, the Minister concerned, publicly announced the principal outlines of the proposed second law. She plans a one-year transition period between the law being passed and its coming into effect, while her comments have triggered a debate on the legitimacy of the agreements on working time signed by minority trade unions.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: Strike against precarious employment at the Ministry for Culture<#PDF_LINK>After three weeks of industrial action, which forced the closure of the major national museums and historic sites, staff at France's Ministry for Culture protesting at job insecurity called a halt to their strike in early June 1999, until the forthcoming budget negotiations. They accepted a protocol agreement, which provides for a five-year plan to turn temporary jobs into stable employment.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: SNCF agreement on 35-hour week backed by referendum<#PDF_LINK>On 4 June 1999, CGT and CFDT, the majority trade unions at France's SNCF rail network, signed an agreement with the management on the reduction of working time. This agreement, rejected by the other unions, had been the subject of a referendum among the company's staff organised by management and the two largest unions.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: CFE-CGC hold 31st congress<#PDF_LINK>At its congress in June 1999, France's CFE-CGC trade union confederation, which represents managerial and professional staff and supervisors, elected a new management team. After some years of falling membership and support, the confederation sought to present a united front and to refocus on its traditional goals and grassroots.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: Dispute at Elf takes on regional proportions<#PDF_LINK>In late June 1999, employees at Elf Exploration Production in France had been on strike for over two months in protest at a planned restructuring of their company. In light of the impact this would have on the regional economy of Pau, many local elected representatives have come out in support of the striking workers.
- 28 Jun 1999
France: Reduction of working time at IKEA includes managerial staff<#PDF_LINK>In May 1999, an agreement on the reduction of working time, in line with the 1998 legislation on the 35-hour week, was signed in France by the CFDT trade union and the management of the IKEA furniture retail group. The other unions concerned have not yet given their reactions to this agreement, which includes managerial staff in the hours cuts.
- 28 May 1999
France: SMIC report calls for continued social contribution cuts on low-paid jobs<#PDF_LINK>An official report on France's statutory minimum wage, theSMIC, published in May 1999, advocates the continuation of the policy of reducing employers' social security contributions in respect of low-paid jobs, particularly in light of the current introduction of the statutory 35-hour working week.
- 28 May 1999
France: Painful negotiating process over 35-hour week at SNCF<#PDF_LINK>April-May 1999 saw strike action by some train drivers at the SNCF state railway company, in protest against changes in the organisation of working time entailed by the implementation of the 35-hour working week, an issue which had been under negotiation for more than four months. The strike was initially called by the independent train drivers' union, FGAAC, and opposed by CGT, the largest union at SNCF.
- 28 May 1999
France: France and EU in legal tussle over women's night work<#PDF_LINK>In April 1999, the European Commission proposed imposing an unprecedented financial penalty on France in order to force it to strike from the Labour Code provisions making it illegal for women employed in industry to work at night. The French government, while upholding the traditional French stance on this matter, has not ruled out the possibility of adapting legislation in this area during the current development of the second 35-hour working week law.
- 28 May 1999
France: Social partners react to planned cuts in social security contributions<#PDF_LINK>In May 1999, the French government unveiled a plan to reduce employers' social security contributions in respect of low-paid employees, to accompany the move to the statutory 35-hour working week. These measures will be funded through an "ecotax" and a levy on social security fund-holding bodies.
- 28 May 1999
France: Results of 1997 works council elections<#PDF_LINK>May 1999 saw the publication of the results of France's 1997 works council elections. The data reveal two main trends- a fall in voter turn-out and an increase in support for theCGTand theCFDTtrade union confederations.
- 28 May 1999
France: UNSA joins European Trade Union Confederation<#PDF_LINK>France's National Federation of Independent Unions (UNSA) was admitted to membership of the European Trade Union Confederation on 20 May 1999, in the context of a partnership deal struck with the CFDT union confederation in October 1998.
- 28 May 1999
France: Unions call week of initiatives on employment and working time cuts<#PDF_LINK>Four French trade union confederations - CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC and CGT - organised a week of mobilisation from 25-29 May 1999, in order to press for job creation and a reduction of working hours resulting in the recruitment of new employees.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Strategic plan for sickness insurance<#PDF_LINK>In March 1999, the joint employer-trade union administrative board of France's National Sickness Insurance Fund (CNAM) approved a "strategic plan" whose aim is to cut sickness insurance spending by FRF 62 billion per year from 2003 onwards. The implementation of this strategic plan, which will soon be the subject of wide-ranging consultation, is supposed to have two consequences: a fundamental reorganisation of the way the health system works; and, more generally, the redefinition of the roles of the state and the social partners in the management of social security in France. Beyond the health system, the future of the French model of jointly managed funds is thus also partially at stake.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: White paper issued on vocational training<#PDF_LINK>In March 1999, the French government issued a white paper on vocational training, seeking to draw up an analysis of the system as a "first step in a process" of reform. Most trade unions and employers' organisations were quick to express their interest in the report. The "reform process" will be phased in gradually, with much emphasis on dialogue and negotiation with the social partners.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Initial debates held in run-up to second 35-hour week law<#PDF_LINK>In March 1999, the French employers' organisation, MEDEF, took the initiative of putting forward its proposals for the drafting of the second law on the 35-hour week, following 1998's groundbreaking "Aubry law". The reactions of the trade unions and the government to MEDEF's ideas have been hostile, but the debate on the relationship between the second law - due later in 1999 - and the renewal of sector-level collective bargaining is now under way.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Reform of the pension system: reaction from unions and employers<#PDF_LINK>In March 1999, less than a year after the Prime Minister asked him to conduct an assessment of on the prospects for the future of the French pensions system, Jean-Michel Charpin submitted his findings. On presenting the report, Mr Charpin was keen to point out that it was an assessment produced through consultation, rather than one endorsed by all parties. In fact, the report provoked varying degrees of criticism from the social partners.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Agreement on employment and the organisation and reduction of working time at Renault<#PDF_LINK>In April 1999, an agreement was signed by five of the six trade unions represented at Renault in France, providing for the reduction of the working week to an average of 35 hours over the year, along with 10,500 early retirements and 7,000 new recruitments.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Unions make joint declaration on managers' working time<#PDF_LINK>In April 1999, the organisations for managerial and professional staff affiliated to France's four general trade union confederations - though not CFE-CGC, the confederation which specifically represents such staff - issued a joint statement on the reduction of managers' and professionals' working time. The aim was to influence the development of the second law on the 35-hour working week, due in late 1999.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Agreement on mandating of union representatives renewed<#PDF_LINK>The October 1995 intersectoral agreement on collective bargaining in French companies with no trade union delegates was renewed for a further three years in April 1999, having lapsed in October 1998. The new agreement was signed on the employers' side by MEDEF and CGPME, and on the trade union side by CFDT, CFTC and CFE-CGC.
- 28 Apr 1999
France: High-tension negotiations in information technology, engineering and consulting<#PDF_LINK>Negotiations on the reduction of working time opened in February 1999 in France's information technology, engineering and consulting sector (known as SYNTEC), which employs 400,000 people. The first proposals put forward by employers were unanimously rejected by the five trade unions, which labelled them "a provocation".
- 28 Apr 1999
France: Report proposes new body to fight racial discrimination in the workplace<#PDF_LINK>A report published in France in April 1999, commissioned by the Minister for Employment and Solidarity, proposes the creation of an independent administrative authority responsible for dealing with the claims of people who feel they are victims of racial discrimination in the workplace. The social partners were due to discuss the matter during round-table discussions in May.
- 28 Mar 1999
France: Roché report examines civil servants' working time<#PDF_LINK>The "Roché report on French civil servants' working time", published in February 1999, has revealed considerable diversity in their working conditions, sometimes approaching inequality, which is deemed by the reports' authors as prejudicial to both the efficiency of the public service and the quality of working relationships between staff. The report advocates a return to a single set of regulations, which would however allow greater flexibility and diversity in working time, as part of a general and concerted modernisation of public service organisations.
- 28 Mar 1999
France: Mixed fortunes for CGT and UNSA on ETUC membership<#PDF_LINK>In March 1999, the executive committee of the European Trade Union Confederation confirmed the admission of France's CGT confederation, but turned down a membership application from the independent UNSA federation.
- 28 Mar 1999
France: Pensions debate continues<#PDF_LINK>In a report of the future funding of pensions to be submitted to the Prime Minister in March/April 1999, France's National Economic Planning Agency favours two possible solutions: a progressive increase in the period during which pension contributions have to be paid, to 42.5 years; and an increase in the capital allocated to the reserve fund created in 1998. This assessment has attracted various criticisms from the social partners, prior to consultations.
- 28 Mar 1999
France: BNP seeks to acquire Société Générale and Paribas<#PDF_LINK>In March 1999, BNP made acquisition bids through an exchange of shares for two other French banks, Société Générale and Paribas, which themselves had announced a merger the previous month. The BNP bids provoked criticism from the other two banks in question, while trade union organisations in the three banks took rather different positions on the proposals.
- 28 Mar 1999
France: Continuing strife in the public education system<#PDF_LINK>March 1999 saw continuing protests against reforms in the French public education system, including a demonstration on 20 March, which brought together groups calling (unsuccessfully) for the resignation of Education Minister Claude Allègre. The current protest movement is seen by some as an important crossroads for certain developments in French society and the education system, while it has also focused attention on changes in the trade union movement.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: Universal Health Insurance system to be created<#PDF_LINK>As part of its overall battle against social exclusion, in January 1999, the French government tabled legislation which should pave the way for the establishment of a Universal Health Insurance (CMU) system by 1 January 2000. This would allow "the whole population access to all types of medical treatment". While there is general consensus among the social partners on the aims of the legislation, there is much debate on the way it is to be implemented.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: CFDT and CGT hold congresses and move closer together<#PDF_LINK>The two largest French trade union confederations unions, CFDT and CGT, held their congresses in December 1998 and January-February 1999 respectively. The major issue for both confederations was the consolidation of strategic orientations already in place. The congresses confirmed that the two organisations are moving closer together, which could significantly alter the contours of the French union movement in the medium term.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: Flagship agreement on working time cuts at EDF-GDF<#PDF_LINK>In January 1999, a framework agreement on the reduction of working time and new recruitment was signed at EDF-GDF, the French gas and electricity utility, by management and all five major trade unions. The new deal followed a 1997 agreement signed only by minority unions, which was subsequently annulled by the courts after non-signatory unions challenged it. Employees voted massively in favour of the new agreement.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: Working time cut at Air France against backdrop of privatisation<#PDF_LINK>Air France was successfully floated on the stock exchange in February 1999, though the state will remain the majority shareholder. At the same time, an agreement to reduce working time for ground staff proved controversial, leading to strikes among maintenance personnel, while pilots have expressed their dissatisfaction.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: 35-hour week introduced in exchange for greater flexibility at Peugeot-Citroën<#PDF_LINK>The motor manufacturer, PSA Peugeot-Citroën, has become France's first major private sector group to implement the 35-hour working week, following an agreement in February 1999. The deal, approved by all the unions except CGT, provides for the reduction of working time with no loss of pay, in exchange for greater flexibility.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: 35-hour week agreement at post office divides unions<#PDF_LINK>In February 1999, a framework agreement introducing a 35-hour working week was concluded at France's state-owned post office, La Poste. However, while four trade unions signed the agreement (CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC and CGT-FO), two others (CGT and SUD-PTT) refused to do so, claiming that it would create only a small number of jobs.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: Industrial disputes decline in 1997<#PDF_LINK>Ministry of Labour statistics for 1997 show that the low level of conflict in French industrial relations has been maintained. This trend is now well established over a long period of time.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: Paribas and Société Générale merge<#PDF_LINK>On 1 January 1999, the French banks Societé Générale and Paribas announced a merger, taking the form of a security swap from 1 February 1999. All the trade unions are concerned about the impact of the merger on jobs, despite management assurances that there will be no forced redundancies in France.
- 28 Feb 1999
France: Industrial action hits public education<#PDF_LINK>Late 1998 and early 1999 have seen a series of strike and protest movements among workers in the French public education system, sparked off by the government's wide-ranging programme of educational reforms.
- 28 Jan 1999
France: ARPE early retirement for jobs scheme is renewed and expanded<#PDF_LINK>On 22 December 1998, France's MEDEF employers' confederation and the five trade union confederations represented in the UNEDIC unemployment insurance fund signed an agreement to renew and expand the "job substitution allowance" scheme (ARPE), which enables employees to retire early on the condition that new workers be taken on to replace them.
- 28 Jan 1999
France: Implementing the 35-hour week legislation: the first six months<#PDF_LINK>In mid-December 1998, the French Ministry of Employment and Solidarity published a review of the first six months of the application of the law on the 35-hour working week. It reveals considerable diversity in the way the legislation is being implemented at company and sector level, and leaves many issues to be resolved when the follow-up law is drafted for adoption at the end of 1999.