French labor law has been thoroughly reformed by five new
ordinances, delivering on the campaign promises of French President
Emmanuel Macron. Just months after his election, the new laws have
been passed and are in force.
The key changes cover the following areas.
Consolidating Staff Representation into a Single Economic and
Social Committee
The ordinances call for the creation of a single body for staff
representatives—a social economic committee
(Comité social et économique (CSE)).
The CSE combines the former staff representatives (DP), the former
works council (CE), and the former health, safety, and working
conditions committee (CHSCT). It also replaces the single staff
delegation (DUP). The transition to a single CSE is a mandatory
obligation on employers. An employer wishing to maintain three
separate representative institutions will no longer be able to do
so beyond the transitional period, which ends on December 31,
2019.
