Timoté Hebert: The application and impact of the Act of 20 August 2008 ‘on the renewal of social democracy’ on trade union representation and workplace elections in the cleaning sector.

The Act of 20 August 2008 ‘on the renewal of social democracy’ brought about significant changes to workplace elections. Previously confined strictly to internal company matters, elections for employee representatives now also determine trade unions’ access to and influence in collective bargaining. By calling on employees to vote, the reform aims to provide democratic legitimacy for the powers granted by the State to organisations deemed ‘representative’. However, research has shown that the conditions within companies are not always in place to make voting a vehicle for democratisation.

In the context of workplace elections, voting tends to be a point of contention between various stakeholders (trade unions, candidates, and, informally, company management) who seek to legitimise their own interests. This situation is particularly evident in the cleaning sector, where employees, often of foreign origin, work exclusively for subcontracting firms, on scattered sites, often in precarious employment conditions, etc.

The proposed thesis will examine how stakeholders have responded to the reform, the changes to the elections (in terms of organisation and results), and the resulting developments in industrial relations within the sector.