Worrying state of play for French professionals

French union CGT (through their P&M branch Ugict-CGT), a long-standing member of Eurocadres, wanted to measure professionals and managers’ satisfaction with their working environment.

Unfortunately, the findings of a detailed survey of professionals and managers in France present a worrying state of affairs for the sector, with the country’s professional class seemingly overworked, underpaid and discriminated against, all while facing severe sanctions for calling out their employers.

Ugict-CGT's survey showed that over 63% of those questioned worked more than 40 hours per week, with the French legal working week set at 35 hours. A quarter of respondents even admitted to working 45 hours per week.

Working overtime seems to have become the norm for white-collar workers in France: 82% of employees have done so at least once, with 51% of them doing so regularly. Furthermore, these added hours were neither declared nor remunerated for 58% of employees.

Not only are they overworked, but they are also worried about the direction of their company. Two-thirds (66%) of employees do not feel consulted by their employers regarding their strategy and practices, with over half of them (52%) feeling that these decisions are completely contradictory to their own beliefs. This has led 58% of respondents wishing that they had the right to refuse their higher-ups’ directives.

However, those stating their opposition to such decisions have faced severe consequences, with 48% of them sanctioned, a figure that reaches 82% for ‘whistleblowers’ between the ages of 19 and 28.

This climate of fear is not only limited to younger employees but also workers from minority backgrounds. In total, 38% of employees have either heard or been victim of racist jokes, with half of them not being made aware by their bosses of the steps to take following such incidents.

Overall, professionals and managers seem unhappy in France, a country that can often serve as a reflection for Europe’s issues. With a rising far-right, and an anti-union government that seeks to appeal to these extremists, France’s current political climate is similar to many across the continent.

As a result, we need to take the findings of this survey seriously and do all in our power to better represent these workers, especially at the European level.

Thankfully though, 34% of employees questioned are still putting their faith into trade unions to defend their rights, double the number of workers then in 2012. This figure reaches 49% for younger employees, which bodes well for the future of trade unionism among France’s white collar workers.