Renault has proposed increasing working time at its factories by an average of 6.5%, claiming it would make its sites “more attractive” and save EUR65m, but the move has incensed one French union, which has called on the automaker to come up with a “real industrial strategy.”
The French manufacturer’s plan was put forward at the latest meeting with its major unions in Paris – the CFDT, CFE-CGC, FO and CGT yesterday (9 January) – but it is the latter labour body which has reacted most strongly to to Renault’s ideas.
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Renault says a review of working hours at its French plants looked at its current system of standard shifts, two shifts and two shifts plus night shift and has come to the conclusion there are “considerable disparities” between factories in terms of what it terms “effective working time” at stations excluding breaks.
It also claims such effective working time is lower than the standard 35-hour week in France.
“In order to harmonise the organisation of working time and introduce the right level of flexibility, the management therefore suggested re-establishing working time at an average 35 hours per week over the year, or 1,603 hours/year for all Renault sites in France,” said a Renault statement.
“For industrial sites, this would mean increasing effective working time by an average 6.5%. With the working hours in place at these sites, it would be possible to continue generating ten days of RTT (work-time reduction) per year. At the same time ,this organisation of working time would limit the number of days added to time savings accounts to adapt to variations in activity.
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By GlobalData“For services sites in the Paris region, these measures would have no impact since these sites are already fairly close to the working time standard.”
For his part, Renault chairman of operations in France, Gerard Leclercq said: “Only through a sufficiently ambitious agreement can we place our sites in a favourable position so that, looking beyond Renault product allocations, they can obtain the allocation of projects from our partners for the European markets.
“Against the backdrop of a European market in which the structural downturn is not expected to be greater than in 2012.”
The next negotiations are slated to take place on 15 January.
The hardline CGT union however, has reacted strongly to the proposals insisting: “The rebalancing of production volumes between Renault sites, the renegotiation of RTT agreements to have real 35-hour weeks, increased resources, a real wage policy, are all proposals the CGT has renewed and which are worth defending by all staff if we want to have a future for everyone.
“So together, let’s impose on management a real industrial policy guaranteeing everyone’s place in the business.”
