On 25 March the CFDT trade union called for companies to abstain from paying dividends this a year that is beset by the negative consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘While the Covid-19 health crisis will have serious economic and social repercussions for many employees and companies, it would be indecent if, as in 2019, the CAC40 companies paid several billion euros in dividends to their shareholders this year. Some of these have already announced a dividend freeze for 2020... but unfortunately this is not yet the case for all of them," the CFDT highlighted in a press release published on 25 March. A number of French companies (e.g. Safran, as well as Engie, where the request was sent by all the trade unions) have already received letters to this effect.
Everyone should play their part. ‘Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary solidarity measures. To cope with this unprecedented health crisis that risks long-lasting nefarious economic consequences, companies are receiving significant State (and thus taxpayer) support,’ noted Philippe Portier, secretary general of the CFDT in the press statement that was released on 25 March.
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