French labour law plans become clear


Although most government business normally comes to a halt in August in France, this certainly is not the case this year as the new government presses ahead with dozens of meetings with unions and employers on its radical plans for labour law (see Labour Research, July 2017, page 8). 


While full details have yet to emerge, the government’s plan to reduce the number of bodies representing employees has become clear. It appears determined that three of the existing bodies, the employee delegates, who deal with individual grievances; the works council, which has information and consultation rights; and the health and safety committee, should be merged into a single new “economic and social committee”.


However, it is also considering going beyond this and merging the trade union delegate — who currently, in most cases, has the sole right to negotiate — into the new structure, if this is agreed at company or industry level. 


Unions are opposed to this, and not just the CGT confederation, generally the most militant. It described the move as “an attack on trade union freedoms”. 


Véronique Descacq, from the more moderate CFDT confederation fears that permitting this “risks decisions being taken unilaterally by the employer”. And a representative from the CFE-CGC confederation, which represents more senior staff, has called it “a danger for trade union legitimacy”.