National interprofessional Agreement (ANI) 11 January 2013 on the labour market reform

On 11 January 2013, the social partners reached an “historical” agreement on labour market reform, that will be signed by all employer organisations and three unions. The agreement will be implemented by law, through a Bill adopted by the government in March. It is a second significant step of Labour market modernisation since 2008.

Four months after government asked the social partners to begin negotiations over labour market reform, and to conclude an agreement ‘to the fullest extent possible’ before the end of 2012, a national interprofessional agreement was signed on 11 January 2013 between the three employer organisations (Medef, CGPME, UPA) and three trade unions (CFDT, CFTC, CFE-CGC). Two unions –CGT and Force ouvrière – refused to sign it, arguing the agreement creates too much flexibility for employers and fewer rights for workers. The new agreement has now to be incorporated into the Labour Code through legislation. A Bill for this purpose will be presented to the Council of Ministers on 6 or 13 March and reviewed through an expedited procedure by Parliament with a view to its enactment in late May. Furthermore, the social partners will outline a number of measures with a view to begin new negotiations, for example changes to the unemployment insurance system which is managed by the social partners. More details will be published on Eurofound in March 2013.