Election of employers' representatives to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Published: 27 November 1997
The election of employers' representatives to France Chambers of Commerce and Industry took place on 17 November 1997. The joint slates of the CNPF and CGPME employers' organisations were victorious, and the National Front failed in its attempt to officially establish itself among employers.
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The election of employers' representatives to France Chambers of Commerce and Industry took place on 17 November 1997. The joint slates of the CNPF and CGPME employers' organisations were victorious, and the National Front failed in its attempt to officially establish itself among employers.
France's Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Chambres de commerce et de l'industrie, CCI s), whose administrators are elected by employers, date back a hundred years. Their function is to manage large infrastructural facilities like ports and airports, to give financial support to business schools, and to provide personalised assistance in setting up businesses. They are sometimes presented as competing with other employers' bodies, and do not always share their opinions. Their CCIs' permanent assembly supported the "Robien law" on the reduction of working hours (FR9705146F), for example, although the main employers' confederation, CNPF (Conseil national du patronat français), had a number of reservations on this issue.
The latest election of employers' representatives to the CCIs took place on 17 November 1997. The poll was hardly popular with employers, as only 22% of them voted, much as in 1994, when the previous elections were held. The CNPF and the CGPME (Confédération nationale des petites et moyennes entreprises) - representing small and medium-sized firms - won almost 95% of the 3,000 contested seats, compared with 80% in 1994, mainly on joint slates. However, they announced their disappointment over the very low turnout. The National Federation of Modern Businesses and Free Enterprise (Fédération nationale entreprises modernes et liberté, FNEML), a mouthpiece of the extreme-right National Front, had only one candidate elected, a serious setback in the month before the elections to the conseil de prud'hommesindustrial tribunal elections, in which all private-sector employees and employers have the chance to vote (FR9711175F).
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1997), Election of employers' representatives to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, article.
