Workplace elections at EDF and GDF

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In November 2000, workplace elections of employee representatives were held in France's state-run electricity and gas companies, EDF and GDF. The results show little change compared with 1997, with CGT remaining the majority trade union, with over twice the support of its nearest rival, CFDT.

On 23 November 2000, in the context of the overall opening up to competition of energy markets, the state-run utility companies, Electricité de France (EDF) and Gaz de France (GDF), held what are referred in these firms as "representative-status union elections". These consisted of electing staff representatives to "secondary staff committees" (commissions secondaires du personnel), "joint production committees" (comités mixtes à la production) and workplace health and safety committee s (CHSCT s).

Some of these elections were postponed at local level. These involved 9,300 employees, or 6% of the electorate for the EDF and GDF elections. In two of four cases, this delay was due to sub judice legal proceedings concerning the representative status (and thus the right to stand for election) of slates of candidates nominated by the SUD-Energie trade union.

The EDF and GDF electorate has considerably changed over recent years, with staff turnover of about 20% since the last elections. Yet the turnout for the 2000 elections was very high: 137,814 employees voted, a rate of 86.2%. This was down slightly on the 1997 level of 89.9%.

CGT retained its majority position, with 53% of the vote. CFDT held on to second place with 23%, while CGT-FO was third with 14%, followed by CFE-CGC with 6.5% and CFTC with 3.2%.

If the results are contrasted with those of 1997, a few slight changes can be identified within an overall context of considerable general stability: CGT dropped 0.8 points (53.8% in 1997) and the CFDT 0.7 points (23.7%). However, support for CFE-CGC rose by 1.1 points (5.4% in 1997), and that of CGT-FO by 0.3 points (13.7% in 1997). CFTC's vote remained unchanged.

It is not easy to interpret these results. Their high degree of ostensible stability does not register the wide-ranging transformations affecting EDF and GDF, such as: the opening up to competition; internationalisation and purchase of subsidiaries; new forms of management; and the recruitment of staff for new occupations.

The unions expressed overall satisfaction with the results. CGT spoke of "a confirmation for its stance", and felt that the employees' vote had "validated CGT's progressive momentum". CFDT interpreted the vote as a demonstration that the staff of EDF and GDF had accorded it "genuine and total trust", "because of its clear line in the face of the changes being experienced by the energy sector". CGT-FO saw its actions, especially its "opposition to the policies and managements of companies seeking to privatise" and the "way it resisted European Directives", as the source of its success. CFE-CGC congratulated itself for registering the largest increase, which "emphatically" confirmed "the standing of CFE-CGC, the themes it has been defending and the trade unionism it practices".