French unions in the media and culture arts sector are strongly mobilized around the bill “For the freedom to choose their professional future” which was finally adopted on August 1, 2018 by the French parliament.

The future law is likely to disrupt in depth the French system for professional training and unemployment insurance in the media and culture sector. The law provides for the disappearance of the Individual Training Leave (CIF) to the benefit of a Personal Transition Training Account (CPF), which will reduce significantly the right of professionals to have their educational costs and salaries covered during a long-term training leave. In addition, the CIF was previously managed directly by AFDAS (a joint employers-unions association responsible for implementing the training policy as defined by social partners in the culture and media sector). However, the new law provides that the CPF will not be managed by AFDAS, but instead by regional inter-professional joint committees, which have no understanding of the employment trends and the specific training needs of the French media and culture sector.

French unions are extremely worried about the future of AFDAS, which has proven to be an indispensable tool for the right to vocational training in the French media, arts and entertainment sector. French unions  (CGT Spectacle, FILPAC-CGT, SNJ-CGT, FCCS-CFE-CGC, SNJ, F3C-CFDT, FASAP-FO, FEC-FO) and AFDAS have therefore launched an on-line petition to protest against the law and alert professionals. The petition has collected so far more than 18,000 signatures.

Take 2 minutes and sign the petition here to support a sustaianble future of AFDAS: click here to sign the petition