France: social partners commence talks on remote working without a common goal

Following for calls from several trade union organisations for a review of the standards governing remote working, in order to draw lessons from this unprecedented period and improve the conditions for those who work remotely, employers have agreed to engage in discussions. The first meeting took place on 5 June (by videoconference) and resulted in a schedule for talks. Three new dates were set: 19 June, 2 July and 2 September. A fourth meeting is expected to take place in September. What are the prospects? There is little clarity for the time being, because employers are not seeking a national cross-industry agreement, which would entail new standards, against the present backdrop; they are in favour of equipping companies for negotiations on the subject through, for example, a summary of the jobs carried out. Meanwhile all the trade union organisations expect this work to lead to an adaptation of the current legal framework through negotiations at a cross-industry level.