NEGOTIATING WORK TIME - THE JOBS ISSUE

Persistent high unemployment has destabilized the labor relations syst em in France. Jobs have become an ever more important issue in negotia tions about the time spent working. By combining legal and sociologica l analyses, it is shown that regulatory oversight has, since the 1980s , taken the place of a quite decentralized bargaining process that for med an exception to legal rules. Although jobs often stand at the top of the agenda in negotiations about work-time, it is less an actually targeted objective than a bargaining chip for working out agreements o n other topics. The issue of jobs claps up in three types of situation s. First of all, jobs may serve as a mere pretext for opening negotiat ions about the time spent working. Secondly the jobs issue can also le ad to solid commitments in exchange for measures allowing for more fle xibility Thirdly, it may be a formal objective for negotiators bargain ing about work-time even though no party has any real interest in reac hing such an objective. This diversity of cases and of forms of commit ment raises question about the traditional principles of labor law.