French government rushes to amend labour code

French unions are very concerned about changes to the legal code rushed through last month by the French government.

The initial aim of the legislation was to deal with problems relating to small and medium-size enterprises. However, amendments from MPs, which unions believe may have been inspired by the government, have given it a much wider impact.

One of the key changes passed on 13 July, was to increase the period of office for works council members from two to four years (in companies with more than 50 employees).

Employers have been unhappy about having to organise elections every two years.

However, as Rémy Jouan, of the CFDT, one of the two main French union confederations, points out "in some industries, turnover is such that having elections every two years is too long". Unions fear that as a result of the changes works councils may lose contact with the employees they represent.

A second change is that some employees - those with autonomy over the way they work - can now calculate their working time in days rather than hours. The effect will be to reduce the extent to which working time is regulated.

The unions are not just unhappy with the changes. They are also unhappy that they were introduced without consultation.