Changes to evening and Sunday working, profit sharing and lay-offs

January 10, 2015

Controversial new laws came into force on 6 August 2015, which amended the laws relating to:

The measures are designed to stimulate the sluggish growth of the French economy and to enable retailers to compete with internet-based sellers. 

Below we outline the main points of interest.

3 types of locations are identified (trade areas, tourist areas and international tourist areas) where work on Sundays is authorised.  Where these involve retail sales outlets covered by a collective bargaining agreement the consent of employees is required.  In addition, the number of Sundays on which all shops can open (at the discretion of the local Mayor) is increased to 12 per year.

A new period of work from 21:00 to midnight was permitted during which employees must receive double pay.  Where this involves retail sales outlets covered by a collective bargaining agreement it again requires the consent of employees.

Where implementation is not required by the law, the new rules encourage the implementation of profit-sharing plans (“accords de participation”) and collective pension savings plans (PERCO) by applying a lower rate of social security tax.

Some minor changes to the procedural requirements for collective economic lay-offs have been introduced as follows:

Further Information

For further information or to discuss any of the issues raised, please contact Sandrine Henrion on +33 1 58 22 16 87.

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Disclaimer
Content is for general information purposes only. The information provided is not intended to be comprehensive and it does not constitute or contain legal or other advice. If you require assistance in relation to any issue please seek specific advice relevant to your particular circumstances. In particular, no responsibility shall be accepted by the authors or by Abbiss Cadres LLP for any losses occasioned by reliance on any content appearing on or accessible from this newsletter. For further legal information click here.

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