Progress towards national agreement on vocational training

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After a difficult start, negotiations between the social partners on reform of the French vocational training system led in July 2003 to consensus on the basic points of an agreement on the issue. However, there are still differences over the division of training costs between employers and employees and on the possibility of training outside working hours. The negotiators were to meet again in early September 2003 to finalise an agreement.

Negotiations between trade union confederations and employers' organisations over a reform of the vocational training system began on 22 January 2003 (FR0302104N) and progressed with some difficulty. Five meetings took place before the foundations of a potential agreement were identified on 17 July. Four proposals have now been accepted by both sides:

• the launch in the second half of 2003 of a bargaining process aimed at expanding the possibilities - in addition to existing legal provisions in this field - of validating the vocational experience acquired by workers;

• the establishment in each sector of 'observatories' to examine trends and potential developments in jobs and qualifications;

• the creation of an 'employment passport', a document which would contain details of the work experience and qualifications of each employee; and

• the introduction of a 'professionalisation contract', which would merge the various types of contracts involving alternating periods of study and work experience for young people and adults. This new measure would be extended to new groups such as older workers and women returning to employment.

Moreover, the Movement of French Enterprises (Mouvement des entreprises de France, MEDEF) has made a concession in the form of extra financial input, agreeing to raise employers' contributions to the vocational training system from 1.5% to 1.55% of paybill. The employers’ associations representing small businesses - the General Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (Confédération générale des petites et moyennes entreprises, CGPME) and the Craftwork Employers' Association (Union professionnelle artisanale, UPA) - had already indicated that they were prepared to bring the training budget in companies with fewer than 10 employees steadily into line with that available in larger ones. However, the share of training costs, both in terms of time and money, to be borne by employer and employee is still an obstacle to reaching an agreement. The nature of potential training initiatives outside working hours is a bone of contention between the negotiators, who arranged a final meeting for 5 September 2003.

The government is urging the social partners to be ambitious, and negotiate the outlines of an 'employment security' programme that would fulfil one of the President of the Republic’s 2002 campaign promises (FR0208103F). The Prime Minister has reiterated that amendments to the law governing vocational training will be passed by parliament in spring 2004, regardless of whether a collective agreement has been reached.