Après plus de trois ans de contestation, réflexions et contre-propositions pour réformer le régime spécifique d’assurance chômage des intermittents du spectacle, le protocole d’accord trouvé le 18 avril 2006 n’est pas toujours signé plusieurs mois après.
In March 2005, France's new Minister of Economy and Finance invited companies that wish to do so to give employees a one-off payment related to company performance, as a trade-off for a reduction in company tax. Soon afterwards, the Prime Minister announced that there is to be a reform of the main
In January 2004, workers in the French entertainment industry continued their protests over a reform of the special unemployment insurance scheme for workers employed sporadically on fixed-term contracts in the sector. The changes came into effect at the beginning of the year, after the
In June 2003, employers' organisations and three trade unions reached a new agreement on France's special unemployment insurance scheme for workers employed sporadically on fixed-term contracts in the entertainment industry. The deal imposes stricter entitlement criteria and reduces the benefit
In spring 2003, Alstom, the French-based engineering multinational, announced a major Europe-wide restructuring plan which includes stringent cuts in its activities. The group may be selling off its shipbuilding division and announced job losses in its power and transport infrastructure divisions at
In February 2003, workers employed sporadically on fixed-term contracts in the French cinema, stage and broadcasting sectors held a strike and demonstrations to defend their special unemployment insurance scheme. The scheme, which has a large deficit, has been regularly challenged by employers.
In March 2002, an agreement between management and trade unions ended a month-long dispute about pay and staff status at the FNAC music and book store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The deal made it possible for wage bargaining to be resumed for FNAC's other outlets.
In January 2002, four French trade union confederations - CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC and CGT - set up an Inter-union Employee Savings Committee to deal with new legislation on employee savings schemes, which will be subject to negotiations at company and sector level. The CGT-FO union confederation is not
In March 2001, under the pressure of economic and financial globalisation, the French-based food group Danone and the UK-based retail multinational Marks & Spencer announced a restructuring of their operations, including redundancies in France and the rest of Europe. The simultaneous announcement of
In September 2000, a new observatory was created for the collection and distribution of information pertaining to employment in the French civil service. It will also monitor the evolution of jobs and civil servants' skills - areas where information is currently lacking.