Fnac staff divided over Sunday trading proposals

The staff of France’s leading cultural products chain Fnac are divided over management proposals for new Sunday trading rules introduced last year by a law to spur the French economy.

The management announced yesterday (20th January) that three of the six trade unions represented in the group — the CFDT, CFTC and CFE-CGC — had agreed in principle on pay and conditions for extended Sunday trading under the law prepared by economy minister Emmanuel Macron and promulgated last August.

The three other unions, the CGT, FO and SUD, said in a joint statement that they would not sign the pact for the extra working hours, which would be on a voluntary basis. But more importantly Catherine Gaigne, SUD Fnac representative for Paris, said the union would formally oppose the agreement and the two others are said to be planning the same.

Even though the ‘ayes’ represent only 30% of the staff and the opponents some 50%, the agreement will go through if the three advocate unions sign and the opponents simply refrain. But if the three opponents formally oppose it, the agreement will fall through.

For the 12 busiest Sundays of the year in priority trading zones, including those attracting international tourists, the proposals are to give the staff the choice between tripling their salary without taking a day off from their five-day week, or doubling it if they took a day in lieu.

For the other 40 Sundays, their pay would simply be doubled. For evening trading between 9pm and midnight, staff would receive double pay per hour worked and be given equivalent compensation time. But the stores would not have to open every Sunday, each deciding in line with local demand.

The agreement for Sunday trading in priority zones, which also covers childcare and transport benefits, involves 28 of the 124 Fnac stores in France, including eight in Paris. Staff at the other 96 French stores in the chain would just receive double pay for working up to 12 Sundays a year.

It is the principle rather than the terms of the proposals that upsets the opposing unions. The joint statement said: “We consider that each staff member has the right to live in dignity, without having to sell part of their time off to earn the money they lack.”

Separately, Fnac confirmed that it will open its first store in Luxembourg in 2018.