France balancing between constructive harassment and virtuous intentions

Abstract

CSR in France is historically rooted in the development of society at least since the 19th century; for decades large companies introduced social plans and social institutions which covered workers and their families from birth to death. These institutions were then taken over by the welfare state from the thirties. So French industrialisation has been marked by enterprise paternalism and by the growth of the strong workers' movement which expanded in three branches during the second half of the 19th century: the union movement, the political socialist movement and the mutualist and cooperative movement. This workers' movement has developed its own social values. During the 20th century the traditionally interventionist role of the St ate gave toFrance an important social legislation, especially in employment law and social protection systems jointly managed both by employers' and employees' representatives.National Insurance was instituted in 1945, unemployment insurance in 1958, the RMI 1 (minimum resources allocation) in 1988, the CMU2 (medical insurance for everybody) in 2000. Since 1945, the firms' social budgets have been managed by works councils in every company or organisation of more than 50 workers.