France: managers’ annual working days system is not put into question but remains in the hot seat

Managers’ lump sum system criticized at European level.  In December 2010, the European Committee of Social Rights (Comité européen des Droits sociaux, CEDS), in charge of giving rulings on law regarding the compliance of national situations in the Member States with the European Social Charter, bashed France about managers’ working time.  In concrete terms, the Committee pointed to several irregularities notably in the expression of working time as an annual figure for managers, which clearly leads to “excessive” workweeks, up to 78 hours.  Besides, it pointed out that “the Act of August 20, 2008, which notably arranges the 35-hour workweek, does not lay down that collective agreements should provide for maximum daily and weekly working time.”  Within this framework, the legal guarantees offered by the collective agreements system were deemed insufficient.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

ion but the case law is changing. (Ref. 110444)

Managers’ lump sum system criticized at European level. In December 2010, the European Committee of Social Rights (Comité européen des Droits sociaux, CEDS), in charge of giving rulings on law regarding the compliance of national situations in the Member States with the European Social Charter, bashed France about managers’ working time. In concrete terms, the Committee pointed to several irregularities notably in the expression of working time

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Portugal: open consultation on the transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive
The news. On 5 August 2026, the Portuguese government published a document proposing a draft text to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive as the basis for a public consultation open until...
EU: the Commission will set up an Expert Group on the impact of AI in the world of work
The news. On 22 July 2026, the European Commission published a progress report on the EU-27’s achievements regarding the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights, reinforced by the...
Belgium: toward an additional five days of leave following the birth of a child
The news. On 18 July, the Belgian federal government approved a draft bill introducing an additional five days of leave following the birth of a child. This entitlement would be added to existing...
Germany: a national action plan to strengthen collective bargaining
The news. On 22 July, the German federal government unveiled a national action plan to promote collective bargaining in response to the requirements of the EU minimum wage directive. The directive...