The unions are strongly opposed CFDT in mind

With 1,400 employees in France (3,500 worldwide) and a turnover of EUR 142 million on last year (in slight increase from last year), Thokeim Services, maintenance of gas pumps company, is doing well. No restructuring in sight, nor threat to employment. It is even more of activity, linked to the introduction of new European standards, which grows the direction two years ago, to its working time agreement. "It is for roaming technicians 1,000 working in part services and maintenance that the organisation of working time was the most difficult." Our response times are very short because when a client has a problem, he wants a technician as soon as possible. "With 23 days of RTT for the non-management, taken once every fifteen days, it became unmanageable", notes the HRD, Pascal Delmas. The volume of overtime is considered too low, the training time too long for new hires, and possible subcontracting in the heart of business. The priorities are clearly identified: reducing the number of days RTT to facilitate service and manage the mobile package days removing time constraints. Only solution: back on the working time of 1999 agreement.

"A real expectation."

The unions are strongly opposed, CFDT in mind. The Branch then chose the strategy of the bypass and opts for a method in the fall of 2003 agreement. "Rather than impose, we chose to discuss sending a comprehensive questionnaire to each of our employees." "On the 1,000 individuals, 100 responded and volunteered to form a working group and analyze the answers", resumed Pascal Delmas. For four months, dialogue continues and a synthesis of the work just reinforce the management expectations: 38 of employees want to work more to earn more, and 26 are same loans to increase permanently their time by a reduction of their RTT. Finally, 25 want to open a this for power to constitute a savings by working more, savings that they wish to mobilize to 76 in money. "The unions have understood that there was a real expectation on the part of employees. "But to do nothing rush, we concluded an agreement for a fixed term, with a clause to cease to have effect at the end automatically reducing the initial situation to test the new device," said HRD. It took almost a year and a half of discussion and negotiation with workers and trade unions, but the result is. Two agreements have been concluded: the first allows the intermediate staff to package days, the second to the non-management, offer the opportunity to redeem his days of RTT. A savings account time for all employees, has also emerged.

Work of pedagogy

50 of the employees have decided to buy back days. A success for the company. "It was a lot of pedagogy, including to the unions to spend their non-principle". "But when you have a project that has a meaning to the Organization of working time and you involve staff, it is already on the right track", welcomed the direction. Remains well agree on the fact that it is a "chosen flexibility", since all of these measures cannot be imposed on employees, but only proposed. So how can we establish operational forecast of activity schedules, without that guidance be pressure on employees "Volunteering is not a problem if the proximity management is listening to staff constraints, and that he is able to develop accountability and team spirit." In the end, our employees have well understood that we must leave the expectations of customers. "Rebalancing professional time and personal time has no meaning if we forget the customer dimension", analysis Pascal Delmas. After two years of experimentation, everyone seems to have found his account in the operation, but some unions take to the reversibility of the agreement. "The solution has been beneficial over a given period, but within three months, the increase in activity will be absorbed and we will resume a normal work pace." "There is therefore no reason to renegotiate the agreement of 1999", designated judge Pierre Monnier, CFDT. Response final end 2006, the renewal of the agreement with the unions.