Le compte épargne temps

Abstract

In 1994, French legislators introduced time saving accounts (TSAs), being individual provisions whose implementation stemmed from collective bargaining. The latest avatar of this “time choice” mechanism has experienced a variety of legislative changes whose net effect has been to diversify how employees use TSAs. Based on a quantitative analysis of TSA-related collective bargaining in France between 2006 and 2013, the article scrutinises differences between the collective agreements that have been signed by grouping them by aim and target constituency. It also looks at how TSA’s initial rationale (to encourage people to take long holidays and engage in individual projects) has been weakened and replaced by a logic that emphasizes monetisation and increased working hours.

Keywords

• working time
• time saving account
• capitalization