France
Key Facts
| Population | 64,716,000 |
|---|---|
| Collective Bargaining Coverage | 98% |
| Proportion of Employees in Unions | 8% |
| Principal Level of Collective Bargaining |
industry and company |
| Workplace Representation |
union and works council |
| Board-level Representation |
yes: state-owned / privatised companies |
| Company Board Structure |
monistic or dualistic (choice) |
Trade Union
In membership terms the French trade union movement is one of the weakest in Europe with only 8% of employees in unions. It is divided into a number of rival confederations, competing for membership. (The main confederations are the CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC and CFE-CGC.) But despite low membership and apparent division French trade unions have strong support in elections for employee representatives and are able to mobilise French workers to great effect.
more ...Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining takes place at national, industry and company level and at each level there are detailed rules about who can negotiate and the requirements for an agreement to be valid. Industry level agreements are the most important level for negotiation in terms of numbers covered, although in some cases the rates they set are below the national minimum wage.
more ...Workplace Representation
France has a complex system of employee representation at workplace level, through both the unions and structures directly elected by the whole of the workforce. Where trade unions are present, the key figure will be the trade union delegate.
more ...Board-level Representation
There are two ways in which employee representatives can be board members, either elected by all employees or as representatives of employees holding shares. In addition, in a third variant, they can also be present at board meetings, although they are not board members, and only have the right to ask questions.
more ...European-level Representation
European representatives from France – for both European Works Councils and European Company bodies – are appointed by the unions. The exception is board level representatives in a European Company, where the representative body decides how they should be chosen.
more ...Health and Safety
A committee on health, safety and working conditions (CHSCT) must be set up in all establishments falling under the Labour Code and employing 50 or more workers.
more ...Financial Participation
France can look back at a long tradition of employee financial participation. France is one of the leaders in the incidence of participation schemes in Europe. State support for employee financial participation is stronger than in other European countries.
more ...