After the persecution of several FNME-CGT trade union leaders, including the General Secretary Sebastien Menesplier, CGT and other French unions gathered in front of Montmorency gendarmerie, where Menesplier was summoned, on 6 September.
A massive demonstration with over 25,000 people was organised by the three Belgian trade union confederations (ACV-CSC, FGTB-ABVV and CGSLB-ACVLV) to protest attacks on the rights to strike, demonstrate and picket.
Members of the Executive Committee, representing over eight million public service workers across Europe, sent letters to French President Emmanuel Macron outlining their solidarity with French trade unions and their concern for the protection of workers' rights and social benefits.
On 13 July all nine trade union federations in the public service signed a new agreement on telework covering the whole of the public sector. The framework agreement requires employers across the three pillars of the public sector – local authorities, ministries and hospital services – to begin negotiations to implement the agreement at local level by 31 December this year. The agreement covers all the key issues relating to the voluntary nature and reversibility of telework, health and safety, gender equality, data security and privacy and working time and the right to disconnect. The
Trade unions representing workers in the public finance directorate (DGFiP) will be taking strike action on 10 May in protest at the continuing restructuring of the organisation and to defend workers’ rights and working conditions. The unions say that 30000 jobs have been cut since 2008 and a long-running process of restructuring has been carried out with digitalisation a key driver. They want a hold on restructuring and relocation and are concerned that the digital transformation and other changes are having a negative impact not just on the workforce but also on the quality of service. The
In February this year, the Supreme Court in the UK ruled that Uber, the driving, and delivery platform, should treat its drivers as workers and not as self-employed. This follows a trend across Europe where courts in several countries have forced digital platforms to revise the employment relationship with the workers providing their services. Platform work is changing the economic and social landscape, revolutionising the way services are delivered while raising major questions about social and labour rights.
EPSU stands in solidarity with French trade unions in the energy sector CGT Mines-Énergies, CFE-CGC Énergies, FO Énergie et Mines and FCE-CFDT that are mobilizing against massive restructuring plans in the multinational energy companies ENGIE and EDF.
On November 26, workers in the French multinational electric utility companies ENGIE and EDF are mobilising to defend the future of their jobs, the public energy sector and to demand the suspension of the companies’ current restructuring projects.
