France: Government wants further action on gender equality

The French Government has asked trade unions and employers' organisations to negotiate a national agreement on gender equality by February 2010, failing which it will legislate on the issue itself.

The minister of labour, Xavier Darcos, held a meeting of the National Collective Bargaining Commission (made up of trade union and employers' representatives) on 6 November 2009 to announce the Government's intentions with regard to equality between women and men at work. 

Darcos said that, despite six major laws having been adopted between 1972 and 2008, and a national cross-industry collective agreement signed by the social partners in 2004, "the employment equality situation is clearly not satisfactory".