Levels of unionisation are low. Overall, some 10% of employees belong to a union, with membership much higher in the public than in the private sector.

However, there is much diversity in union organisation: there are four national trade union confederations, each of which has its own professional and managerial staff union. All are members of EUROCADRES.

There is also one other organisation for supervisors and commercial staff (CFE-CGC). These organisations have the right to sign national agreements and to help run the many bodies managed jointly by employers’ and employees’ organisations (social security, unemployment services, training, etc.)

The professional and managerial staff unions attached to each of the national trade union confederations which are members of EUROCADRES, are:

• Confédération française et démocratique du travail- Cadres (CFDT-Cadres)
• Union générale des ingénieurs, cadres et techniciens de la Confédération générale du travail (UGICT-CGT)
• Union des cadres et ingénieurs de la CGT-Force Ouvriére (UCI-FO) and
• Union générale des ingénieurs, cadres et assimilés de la Confédération française des travailleurs chrétiens (UGICA-CFTC)

The confederations are all similarly organised in that they all have professional and managerial staff organisations at the national level, so that one belongs both to the professional and managerial staff national organisation and to the relevant industrial sectoral organisation of the confederation.

These sectoral organisations, and the local branches too, are however somewhat differently organised in each of the confederations.

To know more: details of national and local trade union organisations: