FRANCE

Working Time Continues to Increase Despite 2000 Law

—By Joëlle Hannelais (j.hannelais@latournerie-wolfrom.com), and Kim Campion (k.campion@latournerie-wolfrom.com), Latournerie Wolfrom & Associés, Paris .

In the latest pullback of the French reduction in work hours that was introduced in the year 2000, so-called “35 hours collective agreements” in branches of some large companies have recently been revised to effectively permit longer work hours. The changes have taken place in the context of initiatives to improve industry competitiveness in the face of the challenges of globalization. Companies such as Bosch, Hewlet-Packard, and Fenwick have negotiated with unions the extension of the working time applicable within their French subsidiaries, with a high majority of employees voting in favor of these agreements. In exchange for the concessions, the companies are making commitments not to move their production facilities out of France and to maintain employment in France for a given period of time, and/or to modernize production equipment. In one instance, workers of a Fenwick plant gave up 12 days off that they had been granted pursuant to the reduced-hours law of January 19, 2000, in exchange for such assurances.

Various articles in this newsletter have discussed prior French pull-backs from the reduction in working time that took place pursuant to the Law of January 19, 2000, introduced under a Socialist-led government and still technically in force under the present conservative government. First, the annual overtime quota was raised from 180 hours to 220 hours by the Decree of December 21, 2004. Second, the Law of March 31, 2005, allowed employees “to work more in order to earn more” by converting some of the days off they were granted under the reduced hours law into money and to engage in overtime work (called “chosen hours”) that is not included in the annual overtime quota.

The reduction of working time originally was implemented by an allowance of various additional days off to be specified in the “35 hours collective agreement” required to be negotiated with unions in each branch or company.