French government delays salary discussions

In the French public sector the government has announced that it does not intend to discuss salary increases until the autumn. The most recent increase, of 0.7% in December last year, was part of a two-year package for 2001 and 2002 and negotiations for this year were expected to start shortly.

The delay has angered the unions. The CFDT, one of the two largest union confederations in France, has written to the minister demanding a start to discussions. The union calculates that the pay of French public servants, after taking account of inflation, has fallen by 2.24% since 1998.