Closed-door meetings, lnegotiations between social partners bring together representatives of employers' organizations and trade unions at national interprofessional level (Medef, CPME and U2P for the employersthe CFDT, CFTC, CGT, FO and CFE-CGC for employees). Cach carries sinterests and vision, but all aresearchent the right social compromise. Join Medef as we go behind the scenes of these great masses.ecognized by the general public...
Since the Liberation, labor relations have obeyed very precise rules, some legal, others tacit. By discussing a particular aspect of relations between employers and employees, the social partners aim to contribute to the construction of the social standard that will then be imposed on companies. The theme of each negotiation is drawn from the social partners' "autonomous social agenda" or, alternatively, from Article L1 of the Labour Code (negotiations "proposed" by the government). What is the aim of the negotiations? To reach a "national interprofessional agreement", or ANI, which will then have the force of law. The stakes are high: without an agreement, the State takes over and sets the rules...
Medef, at the heart of the negotiations
Historically, negotiations were held at Medef headquarters, 55 avenue Bosquet in Paris. However, since the "refounding" agreement on paritarianism of April 2022, the highly symbolic question of the venue for negotiations has to be discussed at the start of each round. If, as is often the case, the negotiators decide to hold them at the Medef, then "55" becomes, for the duration of one or more negotiation rounds, the beating heart of paritarian life.
In a room on the second floor of the Avenue Bosquet building, nearly a dozen agreements have been discussed over the past 3 years, including those on paritarianism (see box below), the sharing of corporate value, and occupational accidents and illnesses.
An immemorial rule of social custom determines an immutable placement around the table: the negotiators for Medef, CPME and U2P are side by side; opposite them, the CGT negotiator. To the left of Medef: CFDT and FO negotiators, to the right CFE-CGC and CFTC.
Each organization is represented by a "negotiator", i.e. 8 "leaders" accompanied by their advisors, in the background. As the "joint sessions" progress, these negotiations help to build a text which, submitted step by step to the management of each organization, completed and amended, will ultimately become the draft agreement "submitted for signature".
Following the famous "paritarisme" agreement, an initial "method" meeting is now held to set the negotiation schedule, often followed by "diagnostic" meetings to prepare for the start of negotiations.
While meetings sometimes start on time, they can also go well beyond the scheduled time, sometimes stretching well into the night... While waiting for a hypothetical sign from upstairs - by sms - journalists wait on the first floor, in the "Presidents' Lounge", which has been used as a press room for some twenty years. They studiously await the arrival of the "leaders" who will take it in turns to "debrief" the session or the outcome.
On D-day, the dialogue begins on the basis of the text previously sent to the various employer and union delegations. An order of protocol, reflecting the representativeness of the organizations (CFDT, CGT, FO, CGC, CFTC), governed the negotiators' speeches, with each one expressing his or her position and remarks on the draft. These studious, sometimes dry exchanges are punctuated by "session breaks", during which technical bravura, humor and semantic debates are not absent. They provide an opportunity for separate discussions, to analyze the state of work and determine the tactics for returning to the meeting, to prepare a position, or to analyze a response to a new proposal...
Huis clos: the theater of negotiations
A sine qua non of successful negotiation, discussions take place away from the media spotlight. This choice allows for more frank discussions and more direct exchanges, encouraging the search for balanced compromises.
Even so, some negotiators have decided to leave the table in the middle of a meeting. Sometimes it's just a theatrical departure, a negotiating bluff or a message to members. The most seasoned journalists are not fooled by this, knowing that what is loudly proclaimed in the press room is sometimes very different from what actually happens in the negotiating room... Of course, at the end of the marathon, the "number 1s", who are not negotiating themselves but are kept up to date by their leader, may call each other to clear up a misunderstanding or settle a crucial point.
In rare cases, some negotiations have had an unfortunate outcome, with the parties failing to reach a compromise acceptable to each, but they have had a very significant impact. One person familiar with the parity ballet points out that" a failed negotiation is a promise for the future. It's never an empty gesture. It's never work for nothing ".
In the event of an agreement, the negotiators do not sign "on the spot", at the end of the last so-called "conclusive" session: they submit an opinion to their bodies, which will decide whether or not the agreement should be signed by the president or general delegate of their confederation. An official signing session will be organized later...
BOX: ANI on what?
Successful negotiations in recent years have led to ANI agreements on paritarianism, value sharing and occupational accidents and diseases. All illustrate the ability of these players to respond to the needs of employees and companies through constructive, pragmatic agreements.
The country's economic and social dynamism depends on the liveliness of this dialogue and the success of these negotiations. This is what we call "social democracy"...