[A month ago we had a brief discussion of why French unions had influence all out of proportion to their membership. Below is one more reason.]
[Although I've got to say, looking at what's gone on in Germany over the last few weeks in ver.di negotiations compared to the transit strike that didn't happen in New York has underlined for me just how much of a difference it makes when transportation unions are public *and* can legally strike. You don't really need a lot union members when they can shut and will down the airports at will and will shut down the trains if you really cross them. And when they'll do so over health plans that are universal for all citizens: viola.]
[Sadly of course, the owl of minerva is flying at dusk: all these wonderful mechanisms of leveraging union power in France are all on the verge of being toppled over.]
Financial Times; Dec 19, 2002
EUROPE: Wise men open gate to pension reform
By Robert Graham
The completion of elections testing the strength of France's three main trade union federations has cleared the way for the centre-right government to tackle reform of public sector pensions.
Pension reform is the single most sensitive issue facing premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin. But Mr Raffarin has deliberately postponed any move until after elections for representation to an ancient system of labour tribunals known as the conseils de prud'hommes (councils of wise men).
These are held every five years, with voting for representation on 271 councils throughout France. The councils' origins go back to the 13th century but have been operating with various updates in their present form since the early 19th century. Employers are also represented on these tribunals, which now deal mainly with minor cases related to unfair dismissal.
The elections are government-sponsored and funded. But with only 9 per cent of the workforce unionised, the elections have been treated as the best gauge of support for the three big federations.
The latter use their performance in the prud'hommes vote to bargain for their share of jobs allotted by the government to a range of state and para-state bodies - notably the public health service. As a result, the prud'hommes elections allow unions to play a public role out of proportion to their membership.
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