The Conseil des Prud’hommes made its solemn return to the courthouse on January 20. The room was small to accommodate the 47 industrial tribunal advisers, 23 of whom are newcomers, having been sworn in a few days earlier. It is therefore a council renewed by half who attended this hearing chaired for a few more minutes by the president Sandrine Diaz who left her chair to Constance Bouchend’Homme Gilis, according to the rule of alternation.
Recalling the results of the year 2022, prosecutor Caroline Tharot did not fail to congratulate the Council for the great effort made which made it possible to reduce the processing time for files from 22 to 10 months. Effort which also made it possible to significantly reduce the number of files in stock, accumulated during the Covid confinements.
On the other hand, the prosecutor regretted the low rate of conciliations. More than a regret, it is “disappointment” resumed Sandrine Diaz: “We have only had 14 conciliations, whereas the industrial tribunals are above all conciliation councils“. She also pointed to the reduction in the number of agents dedicated to consulting (they went from 4 to 2 agents) as well as the lack of premises and material resources. It is therefore above all the solidarity of all, advisers and agents, which has enabled the proper functioning of the council.
The new president, Constance Bouchend’Homme Gilis, fully sharing this analysis, spoke of the new challenges to be met in 2023: on the one hand, the crisis of legitimacy of the judicial system, and on the other hand, the digital transformation essential to the good functioning of the council. On this last point, she thus gave an idea of the working conditions: “Obsolete equipment for court clerks and only two computers for 47 industrial tribunal advisers.“
