In a move to promote the development of call centres in France and to avoid them being relocated to other countries, in December 2004 the government decided to allow them to operate on Sundays. In exchange, employers have pledged to create 30,000 jobs over three years and to improve employment and working conditions. Trade unions are very critical of this initiative.
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In a move to promote the development of call centres in France and to avoid them being relocated to other countries, in December 2004 the government decided to allow them to operate on Sundays. In exchange, employers have pledged to create 30,000 jobs over three years and to improve employment and working conditions. Trade unions are very critical of this initiative.
The government wants to develop the call centre sector in France - which some studies have estimated currently employs 0.75% of the French working population compared with between 4% and 5% in the UK and USA - and to avoid them being relocated to other countries. It estimates that there is the potential for between 100,000 and 200,000 new jobs in this sector. The relocation of call centres to other French-speaking countries such as Morocco and Tunisia has recently been the subject of media attention. At one point, the Minister of the Economy had considered making it compulsory for call centre agents to tell customers the location of the call centre they were calling. However, in December 2004 the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Employment opted instead to authorise Sunday working in certain areas such as hotlines and mail order, but not 'cold-call' selling. In return, the sector has agreed to create 30,000 new positions over three years for young people looking for their first job and to bring the sector, often criticised for poor conditions, closer into line with normally accepted working and employment standards. Employers making a commitment to training, career development and good working conditions are to be awarded a special label.
However, individual employers have expressed considerable scepticism at the link between Sunday working and call centre relocation, since the latter is most often driven by the promise lower wage costs.
Trade unions, which have pointed out that some call centres are already illegally operating on Sundays anyway, have challenged the new deal. The General Confederation of Labour (Confédération générale du travail, CGT), has called this approach to job creation 'a smoke-screen'. The French Confederation of Christian Workers (Confédération française des travailleurs chrétiens, CFTC), has strongly criticised the 'unacceptable initiative' and the new 'unfettered flexibility' that it creates. The General Confederation of Labour-Force Ouvrière (Confédération Générale du Travail-Force Ouvrière, CGT-FO), sees the move as a 'fool’s bargain' aiming to 'extend an existing practice to the whole sector'. The French Democratic Confederation of Labour (Confédération française démocratique du travail, CFDT) puts the issue into the context of the need for an 'ambitious industrial policy'.
The government has also focused on fostering the development of teleworking, which is another potential source of jobs. At its behest, a taskforce has put forward recommendations on work done for an employer either at an employee’s home or away from a company’s site using modern information and communication technology. The taskforce has advocated that a legal framework be put in place to protect the position of the employees, possibly in the form of an additional clause in employment contracts stipulating safeguards such as a job description, place of work and hours at which employees can be contacted. It has also suggested that the social partners be consulted on the implementation of this initiative. The social partners are said to have welcomed the taskforce’s recommendations.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2005), Call centres to be allowed to operate on Sundays, article.
