A new single national collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the metallurgy sector will phase in starting 1 January 2023 for the new social protections and 1 January 2024 for all other provisions, including a new job classification system and minimum guaranteed salaries. Signed on 7 February 2022 by four labor unions and the Union of Industries and Trades in Metallurgy (UIMM) on employers’ behalf, the CBA follows negotiations that started in 2016 and aims to modernize the sector. Mercer has prepared an analysis that identifies potential challenges and questions to consider.
The metallurgy sector is vast and includes not only the steel industry but also industries like automotive, telecommunications, aviation, and mining, among others. The new CBA will apply to an estimated 42,000 companies in the UIMM and 1.5 million workers in France. Different CBAs currently distinguish managers and skilled employees (“cadres”) from employees and blue-collar workers (“noncadres”). Companies with sites in different locations may also be subject to multiple agreements. The new CBA will replace several national and 76 local CBAs, another CBA covering cadres and engineers, and one for the steel industry.