Schulze-Marmeling, Sebastian

In the framework of its labour market reform, the government is proposing new legislation aimed at creating an individual occupational account for each employee, offering entitlement to a range of social benefits throughout their career. Details were discussed at a high-level conference of the social partners in October.

Reliable membership figures for employers’ organisations are vital in order to determine representativeness. A recently published analysis by Dares of data from a 2011 survey revealed that 44% of companies in France are affiliated to at least one employers’ organisation. The study found important differences between employers’ organisations in terms of coverage, sector representation and member company size.

Training provision by employers has increased in Luxembourg, although most small companies are still not offering employees formal training courses. According to two reports published in 2014, men attend training courses more than women, and employees in managerial and executive positions tend to receive more training.

Luxembourg is one of four EU Member States where wages are index-linked to inflation. Recently, the government reinstated the pre-crisis process of quarterly rather than annual indexing. A new study shows that the criticisms often levelled at such systems – that they are likely to increase wage rigidity and reduce competitiveness – appear to be unfounded.

The family wage gap is the difference in earnings between women with and without children. A study conducted by France’s Centre for Employment Studies finds that the gap is wider in the private sector than in the public sector. This is largely because, for women, having children is linked to reduced working hours and career interruption.

The use of financial participation schemes is a subject of public debate and policy initiatives in France since the early 1980s. A study on the relationship between bonus payment schemes and wage levels has found that the payment of bonuses to employees has no effect on total remuneration and a negative effect on basic wage rates. The finding suggests that financial participation is used to compensate moderation in basic wage rates through bonuses. Since financial participation is largely exempt from taxes and social security contributions, the authors raise the question of the effect of bonus payments on public finances.

In 2005, the Government of France [1] introduced rules on the compulsory employment of disabled workers, the Obligation d’emploi de travailleurs handicapés (OETH [2]). Companies with at least 20 staff must have 6% of full-time equivalent workers on their payroll registered as disabled. [1] http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/ [2] http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/professionnels-entreprises/F1651.xhtml

In 2002, the Social Modernisation Act in France introduced a new way for people to gain a recognised diploma based on their work experience.

The French minimum pension scheme supports people on low incomes. It helps them reach the legally guaranteed minimum income.

For more than 30 years, the French Labour Code has allowed employees to refuse to carry out work if they have reason to believe it presents a serious and imminent risk to their life or health. This right is set out in Article 4131–1 [1] of the French Labour Code and was enforced through the fourth Auroux Law from December 1982. This legislation also obliged companies to set up a health and safety committee [2] (CHSCT [3]) for each workplace. [1] http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006903155&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006072050 [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/efemiredictionary/workplace-health-and-safety-committee-0 [3] http://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/informations-pratiques,89/fiches-pratiques,91/sante-conditions-de-travail,115/le-comite-d-hygiene-de-securite-et,1048.html