A French trade union victory

During the last two months, the French government has been trying to force, without prior consultation with the social partners, a measure called the 'First Employment Contract' (contract premier embauche, CPE) which would have allowed employers to sack young people without having to give any reason during the first two years of their contract. The French trade union victory on the proposal entitled is deeply significant, revealing long standing but hitherto ignored political, institutional and social defects in the French system.

The institutional crisis

The tactics employed by President Chirac - approving the law while at the same time insisting that it not be applied in order to save his Prime Minister - have undermined the country's institutions.

The social crisis

The lack of a dialogue with the trade unions led the government into making errors. The Prime Minister, Mr de Villepin, in order to justify the CPE, falsely analysed the situation, asserting that precarious employment was the norm in France and that permanent contracts no longer existed. He also maintained, again wrongly, that the situation of all young people, qualified and non-qualified, was the same and that therefore a single prescription was appropriate. The speed at which the government tried to get the measure through aroused the public's suspicions and contributed to the eventual rejection of the CPE.

The political crisis

The French political class, having a preference for centralisation and strong executive power, tend to distrust civil society bodies. Dominique de Villepin pushed this thinking to breaking point. Inherited from the French revolution, this notion of a state that knows every thing, does every thing, decides every thing, has gained in strength in a country where the politics dictates social transformation rather than vice versa. Positions adopted by the French Parliament were ignored. Never has a government taken so many decisions in a unilateral fashion.

Yet, a modern democracy must take into account the views of society as a whole. Otherwise, France could be doomed only to solve its crisis through violence. We must show that there is a better way and that reform is possible, and the CFDT is determined to try to do so.

A trade union victory

The conflict over the CPE ended with a trade union victory for three reasons. Firstly, the trade unions had a single, clear issue on which they could mobilise their members (and society). Secondly we stayed united during the conflict, both within our own ranks and with the student unions. And thirdly, the government was inept, refusing to negotiate.

Where next

The Employers' organisation (MEDEF) has agreed to sit down with the trade unions to draw lessons from the crisis. The CFDT will be there and will be seeking, through negotiation, to find a better way of improving the employment prospects of young people.