EY employees denounce “unprecedented attack” on their rights

Tour First, in La Défense, 231 meters, tallest skyscraper in France. Up there, on the glass facade, the letters “EY”, for Ernst & Young, one of the “Big Four”, these large global financial audit firms. Below, a cluster of employees who, this Thursday, July 8, distribute leaflets to those who enter the company.

“Working conditions at EY are getting tougher! “ repeats Alexandre Picaud, CFTC representative, holding out the double-sided print titled: “Refuse the abandonment of the forty-eight weekly hours at EY!” ” Flash QR code leads to online petition to denounce “An unprecedented attack” employee rights.

Since 1er July, a new agreement entered into force at EY & Associés. It was ratified by representatives of CFE-CGC, the majority union in the company. Not by those of the CGT who, with the CFTC and UNSA, created an inter-union this winter to denounce excessive working hours.

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In the agreement, for autonomous executives, there is no reference to the working time limit of 48 hours maximum per week, which is nevertheless retained by the collective agreement for accountants and auditors. “They have therefore chosen to derogate from the branch agreement with a company agreement that costs less for employees, which is unfortunately allowed since the Macron ordinances,” explains Marc Verret, CGT union representative. For us, the disappearance of the mention of 48 hours involves a real risk for the health and safety of employees. “

Increased health risks

A study published by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) in 2019 revealed that being exposed to prolonged working hours – at least ten hours a day fifty days a year – was strongly correlated with the occurrence of cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. .

Read also Working more than 55 hours a week increases risk of death, study finds

In this company where we are used to peaks in work when the time arrives for the certification of client accounts, the agreement still poses some limits. First, the daily amplitude, limited to thirteen hours to respect the eleven hours of rest between two working days provided for by the labor code.

Then, alert thresholds. If the planning software indicates that an employee has worked weeks of more than fifty hours several times a month, then “It will be the subject of vigilance”, indicates the agreement. If it exceeds at least twice the fifty-eight weekly hours, then “The Talent team” – a human resources (HR) employee – will contact him to find solutions. If the monthly average of hours exceeds fifty-eight hours, with at least two weeks beyond, this triggers a “Point” between the employee and an HR manager “On the workload and on his state of health” for “Identify planning and organization solutions”.

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