Training plan angers French unions

France’s two largest union confederations, the CFDT and the CGT, have criticised government plans to restructure the training system.


Since 2015, all French workers have had a so-called “personal training account” giving them a right to a set number of hours of training a year which can be accumulated over several years. The government now plans to convert these hours into money — ¤500 (£445) a year for most workers and ¤800 (£712) a year for those without qualifications, and to move much of the administration of the system away from joint union/employer bodies to the state. 


Individual workers will be able to access training through an internet portal and decide for themselves the training they want.


The CGT, the more militant of the main confederations, said that the government “is making the world of work even more precarious by introducing complete individualisation [of training] for workers who from now on will have sole responsibility for their employability”. The CFDT, traditionally more moderate, fears that the new structure may lead to “a weakening of workers’ rights”.