Collective Bargaining

Riders working for the food delivery company Deliveroo have staged protests in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and Nantes to complain about changes to their pay. Deliveroo employs all riders as independent contractors, rather than as employees, meaning that they do not have rights such as the minimum wage or paid holidays. The company switched all its riders from 27 August 2017 to the same contract in which they are paid per delivery (between 5.0-5.75 euro) rather than an hourly rate. The riders say that this leads to pay losses of 20-30%. Their demands are 7.5 euro per delivery and a guaranteed minimum of two deliveries per hour.

English: http://en.rfi.fr/france/20170828-french-deliveroo-takeaway-food-riders-protest ...

In his election manifesto president Macron pledged to use a special presidential decree to force through measures making it easier, among other things, for employers to hire and fire. He has a clear parliamentary majority, so the biggest menace to Macron’s plans comes from the unions and the street. Trade unions are very suspicious about the proposed labour law changes, which include capping industrial tribunal payments and allowing employers to negotiate with unions at local rather than national level – a threat to collective bargaining that is the motor of trade union power.

English: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/26/emmanuel-macron-reform ...

In an open letter to the company's CEO, the pilots' union said EasyJet was stuck in an ‘infernal spiral’ which put both crew and passengers at risk. According to the pilots the budget airline easyJet's cost-cutting measures are threatening passenger safety. The union said that managers were scheduling 'unrealistic' flight plans, asking pilots to do more flights than logistically possible - even to the point of exceeding legal safety limits. As a result of this planning, ‘the employee is reduced to a cost, and the passenger to a profit’. During a meeting between the union and the management a temporary solution to the issues raised was reached.

English: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/15/easyjet ...

The trade unions in education have referred to the government’s commitment to the Protocol on Professional Pathways, Careers and Remuneration that ensures public servants a decent standard of living. In a joint letter, the signatory trade unions recall that at the meeting of the Joint Council of the Public Service on 10 July 2017, the Minister for Budget, Public Accounts and Civil Administration announced on behalf of the government, in respect of the Protocol, that ‘the public finances situation compels us to examine the timetable for the implementation of the Protocol and the staggering of its introduction’.

English: https://www.ei-ie.org/en/detail/15311/france-education-unions ...

The statistics office INSEE has released its 2017 report on the country's jobs market titled: ‘Work, Unemployment and Wages’. In 1984 some 94% of the workers were on permanent contracts; by 2016 that figure has dropped to 85.3%. Temporary contracts have increased from 5% in 1984 to 11% in 2016. The labour market is recovering, with 255,000 new jobs created in 2016. This has not lead to an improvement of earnings, as the increase of the labour cost stayed around 1% in recent years. The average monthly wage for a full-time worker in the private sector stands at 2,230 euro (net, with social charges paid). The pay gap is still substantial, with the average wage for a woman working in the private sector 14% lower than for men.

English: https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques ...

The collective agreement for employees of an individual employer (formerly known as domestic employees) dates back to 1999 and covers approximately 1.3 million employees, most of whom are part-time workers. There are around 320,000 maternal assistants for which the CFDT signed a national collective agreement ten years ago. Despite this collective agreement, employers often violate the labour code by imposing long work hours on and breaching contracts with maternal employees. The CFDT has been actively working in national negotiations to ensure that these maternal assistants are recognised and treated like all other employees. An activist for the defence of domestic workers' rights presented her experiences in a book.
English: https://www.opendemocracy.net/beyondslavery/dws/zita-cabais-obra …

Workers at the TV channel France 24 stopped work on 16 June 2017 in a dispute over ‘unhealthy’ shift hours. Journalists and technicians at the TV network France 24 staged a walkout, accusing their employers of not respecting a deal on working conditions. More than 120 staff at the news channel stopped work and picketed its headquarters in protest at what they claimed was the company’s refusal to implement a 2015 agreement addressing ‘unsociable and unhealthy’ hours.
English: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/15/france-24-staff-strike …

An alternative proposal for a complete revision of the French Labour Code that was published in March 2017 by a group of legal experts known as the Research Group for a Different Labour Code (GR-PACT) is now summarised in English. The proposal aims to make the law leaner and more accessible, but also to adapt it to today’s’ challenges and to preserve and strengthen certain important historical achievements. The starting point is to provide a readily understandable labour law, in the belief that ‘an incomprehensible law should be considered as non-acceptable in today's democratic society’.
English: http://englishbulletin.adapt.it/wp-content/uploads/2017 …

Days after the election of the new president, several activists, unionists and students took the streets giving a clear signal to the start of Macron's presidency. A few weeks later, Macron invited employers and trade unions for a first meeting. His first major agenda item is the overhauling of the labour code, an item that led to massive street protests in 2016, resulting in the watering down of several measures. The reforms caused a deep rift within society, leaving the government to bypass parliament to ram through the law. Unions criticise a hasty reform and fear a rat race between companies resulting in social dumping practices.
English: https://www.thelocal.fr/20170523/macron-opens-labour-reform-talks ...

Workers at car component factory GM&S automobile in central France have occupied the plant and are threatening to strike in a protest against their managers as the site risks closure. They have told Renault and Peugeot that they are ready to strike if their demands are not met. Some 280 jobs at the site are under threat after the plant went into receivership back in December 2017. Workers accuse the two car giants of blocking negotiations for a takeover of the factory and of making too few orders. Negotiations with management over the last few weeks have failed and the closure of the factory is likely to be announced on May 2017.
English: https://www.rt.com/news/388032-french-workers-threaten-blow-factory/
https://sputniknews.com/europe/ … factroy-gms-strike/