French Unions and Works Councils (les comités d'entreprises)To give some idea of the complexity of negotiating labour-related issues in France, a number of pages on this site show some of the rules that have to be respected in the domain of labour relations and negotiations. Only about 8% of all private sector workers belong to Trades Unions in France . However, Trades Unions have more importance in the country, and in the public service, than this figure would suggest so it is important to know about them. It is also important to understand not only how they cooperate in the whole labour system but their areas of influence. |
The Role Played by the Unions in Social InstitutionsThe French system has been built around tripartite Government/Industry/Union administration of a whole range of social institutions. Union delegates belong to the Boards which administer unemployment benefits (through the UNEDIC-ASSEDIC), the job search offices (l'ANPE--Agence National pour l'Emploi), the complementary pension funds (ARRCO, AGIRC), the National Training Council and the Boards of many other institutions. The words behind acronyms such ANPE or ARRCO are not important to remember. France is a great lover of acronyms and most French people know the Institution they stand for (SNCF: the railways, RATP: the French metro system) but not always the words behind the initials. |
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