INFO: Working time Agreement in the BOSCH-plant Venissieux (France) (report from our EUCOB@ CORRESPONDENT Blandine Landas)
Special agreement on the economic protection and job security for the production plant in Venissieux
· Agreement signed by CFDT and CGC. CFDT is widely majority with 65 % of votes in professional elections. · Investment (12 million euros from the end of 2004) into a new product (pump with injection of last generation) which is a part of job security and economic stability of the plant. · Securing for 190 of 300 threatened jobs. · Working time from January 1-st, 2005
- Working time increase (workers, administration staff and technicians) from 35 to 36 hours weekly (reduction of 6 days of RWT) with the same monthly wages.
- Reduction of 1 day of RWT for employees working weekend: without increase of payment. Increase of the coefficient of the premium for weekend working hours from 1,50 to 1,55. to guarantee the same wage.
- The “executives and engineers” (level I and level II) at present at 38,5 h a week pass in a “fixed working time” of 213 days over the year with 12 days of RWT.
- The “executives and engineers ” (level III) pass in a “fixed working time” of 217 days a year.
· Wages
- Moderation of wage increases over a period of 3 years.
- Reduction of the additional pay for night hours from 25 to 20 %.
- A negotiation is scheduled in the second half a year 2004 for the implementation of a bonus of group and the system of variable premium for the employees crossed at 36 hours a week.
· Investment plan allows the securing for 190 of 300 threatened jobs. 110 employees have the right for a new job. Plant of Vénissieux was not threatened with relocation but not threatened with disappearance by the progressive stop of the manufacture of " traditional systems of injection ". CFDT demanded for a long time the arrival of an innovative product to assure the future of Vénissieux’s plant. Management setting a refusal against the motive for the cost too much raised by Bosch Vénissieux in front of requirements of the car builders. On the other hand, Bosch foresaw the manufacture of new products in Czech Republic.
· Before the signature of the agreement CFDT organised a vote of its members (118 members) to confirm its positions. CFDT has so organised a vote of the employees to collect their opinion on the draft agreement.
· Agreement was then confirmed by referendum by 73 % of the employees. On the whole 98 % of the 820 concerned employees accepted the modification of their contract.
The FGMM-CFDT thinks that agreement signed in Bosch Vénissieux is a punctual solution of a punctual problem which must not be used to question 35 hours
French government and 35 hours week
The government has already softened 35 hours by the FILLON law in the autumn, 2003 which foresees notably changing the using conditions for the supplementary hours:
· By branch agreement possibility of fixing a contingent of supplementary hours of 180 hours a year and possibility of decreasing the rise of supplementary hours (10 % instead of 25 %). · For the small companies (less than 20 employees) possibility of continuing to make 39 hours without hours from 35 to 39 hours are counted as supplementary hours.
At the beginning of September the government (Ministry of Labour) opened a consultation of the social partners (trade unions and employers) to discuss possible new softening changes. It is not about a tripartite negotiation.
CFDT disputes any new modification of the legal frame. CFDT reminds the necessity of spreading reduction of working time week to all the employees and if need be to bring by the collective bargaining the adaptations which would be made necessary by the evolutions of companies.