Workplace Report April 2021

European news

More French companies covered by collective bargaining

The latest annual report on company-level collective bargaining in France shows that in 2018 around a sixth (16.7%) of companies with 10 or more employees were involved in collective bargaining, almost always with the union delegate in the company. This is slightly higher than in 2017, when only 15.9% of companies were involved in negotiations. Although there was company-level bargaining in only a sixth of companies, the fact that it is found more frequently in larger companies means that the proportion of employees covered is much higher – almost two thirds (62%). In four out of five cases (80.2%) the negotiations led to an agreement, and pay was the topic most frequently negotiated.

This report does not cover industry-level agreements which have wide application in France, covering more than 90% of private sector employees.