France
Background information on industrial relations in France
- 23 Dec 2010
France: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Metal sector – FranceThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the metal sector in France. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.
- 23 Nov 2010
France: Extension of inter-professional agreement on harassment and violence at workThe National Interprofessional Agreement (ANI), designed to educate workers and employers about harassment and violence at work, was signed by all French trade unions on 26 March 2010, transposing the European Framework Agreement of 15 December 2006 on this topic, reached by the European social partners. However, an order issued by the French government on 23 July further widens the scope of the ANI to cover employees and employers in all sectors.
- 01 Nov 2010
France: Minimum income support scheme extended to people aged 18–25New French legislation has removed the age restriction on the entitlement to means-tested welfare benefits offering financial support to jobseekers resident in France and on a low income. The previous regime excluded people under 25 years of age. The new law, which came into force on 1 September 2010, removed the age restriction but added a precondition that recipients of the benefit aged between 18 and 25 years must have worked for at least two years prior to being unemployed.
- 19 Oct 2010
France: Unions oppose government bill on pension reformWith the number of pensioners in France set to increase rapidly, the French government has introduced reforms to the public pension system, which include increasing the age at which French citizens will be entitled to a state pension from 60 to 62 years. It will increase by four months a year from 2011 to 2018. Four out of five of France’s large trade unions, and opposition parties, have expressed their opposition and French workers generally want to preserve the status quo.
- 17 Sep 2010
France: New agreement on Portage SalarialFour of the main trade unions in France have signed a new agreement on Portage Salarial (sometimes translated as ‘umbrella companies’) covering specialist workers (executives). The mechanism is only applicable to genuine executives and temporary work agencies will only be allowed to enter into contracts with executives if they set up a subsidiary Portage Salarial company. More negotiations are likely and legislation is needed to bring the agreement into operation.
- 10 Sep 2010
France: Initial appraisal of collective agreements on employment of older workersThe employment rate in France for people aged 55 to 64 years was only 38.9% in 2009 compared with the EU target of 50% for this age group by the end of 2010. New legislation requires all companies employing more than 50 people to be covered by a collective agreement signed by the social partners to boost the employment of older workers, or face a fine. Larger companies (more than 300 employees) have the option of producing an action plan. The 79 industry-wide agreements have a number of common themes.
- 03 Sep 2010
France: Agreement to improve job security of skilled workers in metal sectorThe employers’ association (UIMM) and the trade unions (CFDT, CGT-FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC) signed an agreement in May 2010 to improve the job security of skilled workers in the French metal industry. The agreement strengthens the management of employment and skills at the company level by establishing a ‘period of mobility’ which will allow workers with two years’ service to take up a new post with another employer while retaining the right to return to their previous employment.
- 02 Sep 2010
France: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Inland water transport – FranceThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the inland water transport industry in France. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.
- 17 Aug 2010
France: New law on employee relocationOn announcing redundancies, a French employer is obliged to propose alternative positions elsewhere within the company or group. This policy is not limited to vacancies within France – companies must look globally within their group. In the past, companies had proposed alternative vacancies in India or Romania, and had offered the worker the local wage. Now, a new law states that, for any job proposal out of France, companies will have to offer the same wage as that offered in France.
- 10 Aug 2010
France: Reform of representativeness and social dialogueThe French Supreme Court ruled in March 2010 that the reform of the laws governing trade union representativeness approved by the French parliament in 2008 did not infringe International Labour Organization conventions or European law. At the same time, the government presented a bill to extend the reform to trade unions representing civil servants and workers in companies with fewer than 50 employees, who were not covered in the 2008 ‘Law on social democracy and working time reform’.
- 28 May 2010
France: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Catering sector – FranceThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the contract catering sector in France. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.
- 14 May 2010
France: Trade union strategies to recruit new groups of workers – FranceFrance holds two records regarding trade unions in Europe: it has the lowest membership rate and it also has the most trade unions. Since 1995, unions have managed to curb the substantial decline in membership that began in the 1980s but they have not managed to win new members. However, this has not endangered their existence, since their electoral support results remain unchallenged and their influence over works councils provides them with additional resources.
- 27 Apr 2010
France: Addressing the gender pay gap: Government and social partner actions – FranceAnalysis of the gender pay gap, which is globally fairly negative, shows how much the place of women in the labour market and employment has remained very different from that of men in France: women and men with exactly the same training are not paid the same in the labour market. Such unequal pay reflects inequalities that women face in the labour market.In terms of equal pay, the national legal framework seems relatively well developed, especially with the law adopted in 2006 which laid down objectives for the social partners. Nevertheless, it has to be noted that the gap between the law and the real situation seems to be getting bigger every day.
- 19 Apr 2010
France: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Footwear industry – FranceThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the footwear industry in France. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.
- 09 Apr 2010
France: Mixed response to individual entrepreneur initiativeIn January 2010, the Secretary of State for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises made an initial assessment of the ‘auto-entrepreneur’ initiative, one year after its creation. According to the analysis, some 320,000 persons have acquired the status of auto-entrepreneur, thus pointing to the success of the initiative. However, the social partners have made some criticisms, such as the lack of financial and job security associated with such an initiative.
- 09 Apr 2010
France: Confederation of Professional and Managerial Staff holds 34th CongressIn February 2010, the French Confederation of Professional and Managerial Staff – General Confederation of Professional and Managerial Staff (CFE-CGC) held its 34th Congress in Reims, just over three years after its previous one. The Congress re-elected Bernard Van Craeynest as CFE-CGC’s President, and voted on its activity and financial reports as well as discussing key policy issues.
- 31 Mar 2010
France: Workers resort to hard-hitting industrial protest action2009 was marked by a wave of announcements of job cuts and company closures. Few, if any, were negotiated, and they led to many disputes in the companies concerned. Several of these disputes in the period up to the autumn of 2009 were of a radical nature and attracted considerable media attention, such as the detention of senior management, site occupations, the detention of stock and equipment, and sometimes threats to the company facilities.
- 16 Mar 2010
France: Tough negotiations around reform of occupational health serviceMulti-industry bargaining on the reform of the occupational health service came to an end in November 2009 without an agreement being reached by the social partners. The French Ministry of Labour, Social Relations, Family Affairs, Solidarity and Urban Affairs then made proposals that did not resolve the situation. Among the main difficulties is the shortage of occupational health officers, which is leading to cuts in services and an unclear redistribution of workload.
- 16 Mar 2010
France: CGT organises 49th confederal congressIn December 2009, about 1,000 delegates of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) met in Nantes in order to define the policies of their confederation. Besides paying more attention to increasing membership, especially among young people, trade union activists defined the line they intend to defend in coming national debates, such as on pensions in 2010. At the end of the congress, CGT’s General Secretary, Bernard Thibault, was re-elected for the fourth consecutive time.
- 16 Mar 2010
France: Unions seek better employee representation in very small enterprisesIn January 2010, the Craftwork Employers’ Association and four trade union confederations signed a joint letter asking the government to introduce a measure creating specific representation for employees working in very small enterprises with less than 10 employees. The move coincides with discussions set to take place in first half of 2010 on the issue of the threshold for compulsory elections of employee representatives.
- 16 Mar 2010
France: Wave of employee suicides sweep France TélécomSince 2009, the telecommunications group France Télécom-Orange is facing a wave of employee suicides, which is being widely reported in the media. So far, corporate managements are generally delaying embarking on negotiations with trade unions on psychosocial risks at work following the signature of the national multi-industry agreement on stress at work in 2008. Nonetheless, sensitivity of public opinion regarding this issue has been confirmed.
- 08 Mar 2010
France: Plan to introduce collective performance incentives in civil serviceThe French government wishes to introduce collective incentives in all three branches of the civil service by 2011. This measure will be available for all civil servants, based on achieving targets in each section. In a context of increased tensions related to massive job cuts, trade union concerns regarding the definition of criteria for financial performance and funding of collective incentives make it unlikely that agreement will be reached early in 2010.
- 08 Mar 2010
France: First health at work agreement signed in civil serviceAn agreement on health at work for staff in the state civil service, local authorities and hospitals was signed on 20 November 2009. The agreement covers 5.2 million workers and is the culmination of bargaining that commenced in July 2008. The accord aims to bring health at work coverage for all three branches of the civil service into line with that provided in the private sector.
- 08 Mar 2010
France: National Food Industry Association leaves MEDEFIn December 2009, the National Food Industry Association decided to leave the Movement of French Enterprises (MEDEF), which is the main multi-industry employer organisation in France. This decision follows debates as to whether MEDEF is a useful organisation, as it is considered to be too far removed from its member companies’ concerns and to charge too extensive affiliation fees for the services provided.
- 19 Feb 2010
France: France: EIRO Annual Review - 20082008 started with the continuation of the ‘reforms’ of social and employment law driven forward by the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. These reforms continued despite a sharp drop in his approval ratings. The social partners are heavily involved in the implementation of this policy as they are threatened with the law if they fail to comply. The year ended with a reappraisal of state intervention due to the economic and financial crisis and with the “shock absorbing” role of the social security system being praised.
- 17 Feb 2010
France: Fourth year without a boost in statutory minimum payOn 1 January 2010, the country’s statutory minimum pay was increased by 0.5% to €8.86 an hour. This increase is in line with legal obligations. For the first time ever, the rise was made on 1 January rather than on 1 July, following a reform introduced by a law adopted in December 2008. Although employers are satisfied with the increase, all of the trade unions have denounced the increase as inadequate.
- 05 Feb 2010
France: New law on guidance and lifelong vocational trainingThe new law on guidance and lifelong vocational training, which follows on from the national intersectoral agreement signed in January 2009, was adopted in November 2009. This law incorporates the main measures set out in the agreement and thus reforms the French system of lifelong vocational training for the third time. The law provides for measures regarding vocational training and, in particular, for the qualification of vulnerable people.
- 26 Jan 2010
France: Launch of Stiglitz report on economic performance and social progressIn September 2009, the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress submitted its report to the French President. Trade union reactions to the report are generally favourable; however, they highlight certain limitations. Among the criticisms are that the report reduces all aspects of life to capital and that its focus is too narrow. Employers take the general view that any indicators must not be too restrictive or reduce competitiveness.
- 21 Jan 2010
France: France: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Personal services sectorThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the personal services sector in France. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.
- 19 Jan 2010
France: Citizens vote against change in legal status of La PosteIn order to mark their opposition to the change in legal status of La Poste, which is the subject of a draft bill, a group of associations, trade unions and political parties organised a citizens’ consultation on 3 October 2009. More than 2.3 million citizens took part, with 90% of them voting against the measure. The initiative highlights French people’s strong attachment to local public services, as well as a growing appetite for more direct forms of democracy.
- 12 Jan 2010
France: Representativeness of European social partner organisations: Civil aviation – FranceThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the civil aviation industry in France. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.