Analysis. With the violence of the health crisis, coupled with an economic crisis of unprecedented magnitude, the unions are on the defensive. Faced with the avalanche of layoffs and social plans in companies, they find themselves with their backs to the wall and first seek to limit the damage. “We have launched a ‘toolbox’, ensures Frédéric Homez, secretary general of the FO metal federation, with a set of measures to help companies and employees to overcome this bad economic course. “
But while the national inter-professional agreements (ANI), which illustrated the heyday of social democracy, have disappeared from the landscape since that of February 22, 2018 on vocational training, they reappeared in 2020. Paradoxical effect of the crisis, we at the national level witnessed the beginnings of deconfinement of social dialogue. “Collective bargaining and social dialogue are the best tools to restore hope to employees and companies ”, pleads Mr. Homez.
The myth of the Grenelle agreements
Three major agreements – each of a different nature – were signed in 2020. For fifty years, all governments, on the right and on the left, have been inspired by the Grenelle conference, which, in May 1968, under the leadership of Georges Pompidou, had brought together for twenty-five hours, the unions and the employers to get out of the social crisis. They thus maintained the myth of the Grenelle agreements, while the statement of conclusions resulting from these discussions had not collected any union signature.
The health crisis has highlighted the unease of the public hospital and the suffering of caregivers. There was an urgent need to act. Emmanuel Macron has therefore taken out of his hood a Ségur de la santé, a Grenelle in the long format which resulted in a consultation between the government and the unions, from May 25 to July 10, 2020, led by Nicole Notat, former secretary general of the CFDT, in order to “Continue to modernize the health system and improve the daily lives of caregivers”.
Unrepresentative unions in the public hospital, like the CFTC, have been kept out. As a result of these discussions, a text was put on the table, notably providing for a revaluation of 8.2 billion euros for the professions of health establishments. Unlike the Grenelle of May 1968, it was signed by the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, a majority of unions – CFDT, FO and UNSA – and representatives of the medical personnel of the public hospital. Its implementation has been the subject of criticism, but it partially met the expectations of caregivers.
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