France - Agreement to improve job security of skilled workers - September 3, 2010

On 17 May 2010, the employers’ association (UIMM) and the trade unions (CFDT, CGT-FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC) signed an agreement to improve the job security of skilled workers in the metal industry. The agreement strengthens the management of employment and skills at company level by establishing a so-called period of mobility allowing workers with two years’ service to take up a new post with another employer while retaining the right to return to their previous employment. When the former contract of employment is severed, the employee leaves the company with the agreed compensation and, if applicable, rights to unemployment benefits unaffected. A representative of the CFDT metal union commented that the agreement is an innovation that improves the job security of skilled workers, “because up till now, in order to try a new post in another company, an employee had to resign with the risk of regretting this if the new job was not successful”. The agreement also contains several provisions that aim to strengthen the management of employment and competences, in particular by reinforcing the role of the Qualifications Observatory within the metal sector.

English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2010/07/articles/fr1007041i.htm

French: http://www.uimm.fr/fr/pdf/accords_metaux/2010-05-17_Accord-national ...

This article was published in the Collective Bargaining Newsletter. It aims to facilitate information exchange between trade unions and to support the work of ETUC's collective bargaining committee. For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI atwww.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2009.