Please find some information (on behalf of the FGMM) about a new collective agreeement in France:

The negotiations are ended but agreement is not yet signed.

Working time in the metal industry, flexibility and power of the employer increased

UIMM (employer metal organisation), at the conclusion of a negotiation which ended at 1 o’clock in the morning on January 26, proposes to trade unions a national draft agreement for the metal industry which integrates all the new flexibilities offered by the last legislative regulations (and possibilities) for working time.

Concerning supplementary hours (extra hours), the annual contingent (possible number of extra hours a year and by employee) is increased from 180 to 220 hours at the free disposal of the employer and from 150 to 175 hours in case of annualized schedule. Legal rises will be applied from the first extra hour except for the small companies (20 employees or less) which stay in the current derogatory system (Possibility of decreasing the rise of the payment for extra hours), and companies having concluded a different agreement before the new branch agreement. It is also possible to go beyond this contingent depending the work organization for the employees who wish it.
Working time account can be transformed in payment and it is the employer who clarifies the reserved mode of valuation. It is also the employer who decides on the use of the working time account (liquidation, transfer or financing of a leave or a passage part-time). The employer can foresee in regular periodicity the liquidation (the end) of a part or a totality of vested interests registered on the account. The rate of appreciation for the capitalized elements which was 3 % is returned to 2,50 % on February 1-st, 2006.
The possibility of calculating working time on the basis of a fixed number of days a year is opened (for certain professions) to the employees not white collar workers ( the manual workers) from the coefficient 190.

While a big number of employees does not always benefit from 35 hours and grounds that they are employees already strongly concerned by a high or unstable working time which are going to be concerned by these new constraints (if they enter application) the FGMM-CFDT will not sign this agreement and will pursue its action for the generalization of the reduction of working time in link with employment and the improvement of working conditions and life conditions, for a fair level of satisfactory purchasing power without it depends on a high level of working time.

CGTwill not sign agreement. FO, CFTC and CGC reserved their answer.

Friendly and with my apologies for my bad English

Blandine LANDAS Secrétaire Fédérale International-Europe Tel : 00 33 1 56 41 50 70 Fax : 00 33 1 56 41 50 96