The report highlights that, after the decline in the number of agreements in 2020 due to the health crisis, 2021 saw this number rise again.

The number of collective branch agreements rose above the symbolic 1,000 mark (1,063 agreements), with a rebound in contractual activity in the area of wages in all professional branches (+30%).

The volume of company agreements also slightly increased (76,820 agreements in provisional data, i.e. +0.9%). However, it remains below the record figure for 2019, a sign that the effects of the pandemic are still being felt. 

The breakthrough in company agreements on teleworking, including in the smallest companies, bears witness to this and demonstrates the responsiveness of negotiations.

The report stresses that the vitality of collective bargaining has been encouraged and supported by the public authorities.

Collective bargaining also supported companies in implementing the Index of professional equality between women and men. The Index aims to measure and eliminate, within a maximum of 3 years, the gaps in pay and status between women and the situation between women and men, through four to five indicators depending on the size of the company. The Ministry of Labour and MEDEF (Movement of the Enterprises of France) have assisted companies in implementing the Index by developing tools and mechanisms, such as working groups, the mobilisation of a network of ambassadors, the organisation of training sessions, and telephone assistance.

The year 2021 saw the conclusion of the 2017-2021 representativeness cycle, with the issuance of new decrees on the representativeness of trade unions and employers for the next cycle. The assessment concludes that, with the opening of a new cycle of representativeness for the next four years, collective bargaining is thus asserting itself as an essential lever to enable companies, employers, and employees, to adapt to the major challenges we are facing: economic crisis, economic and demographic changes, ecological transition, the transformation of professions.