Paris 2024 welcomes support from French trade unions as ground-breaking Social Charter is signed

The Paris 2024 Bid Committee has today signed a landmark agreement with the five main trade union organisations in France who are officially supporting the bid, reinforcing the strong unity behind the project and highlighting Paris 2024’s ambition to organise a Games for all of France.

Paris 2024 Bid leaders, Bernard Lapasset and Tony Estanguet, joined union leaders in Paris to commit to a wide-ranging Social Charter that will unite all aspects of French society behind the staging of the Games. The fact that five trade unions have come together in support of Paris 2024 is another indicator of the significance and value being placed on Paris’ candidature for the 2024 Games within wider French society.

The Social Charter was signed by:

· Bernard Lapasset, Co-Chair of Paris 2024

· Tony Estanguet, Co-Chair of Paris 2024

· Philippe Martinez, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT)

· Jean-Claude Mailly, Secretary General of Force Ouvrière (CGT-FO)

· Laurent Berger, General Secretary of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT)

· Alain Giffard, General Secretary of the French Confederation of Management - General Confederation of Managers (CFE-CGC)

· Bernard Sagez, Secretary General of the French Confederation of Christian Workers (CFTC)

The charter comprises 16 commitments involving the organising committee as well as other companies and public authorities that will be mobilised behind the Games. The commitments include:

- Establishing socially exemplary governance and organisation structures;

- Placing the quality of employment and working conditions at the heart of the economic impact of the Games;

- Promoting the development of skills and the security of career paths for employees and committed volunteers;

- Making sport, through the organisation of the Games, an engine of solidarity and social development.

These commitments will be applied once the Host City decision is made by the International Olympic Committee on 13 September 2017, and will be implemented through a robust operational plan and will monitor and measure the Games’ positive impact on the workers of France.

Bernard Lapasset, Co-Chair Paris 2024, said:

"This social charter, signed by Paris 2024 with the five main employee unions, is further proof of the unifying power of our project. We need them, their experience and their expertise to deliver a spectacular celebration of sport.

"This charter also illustrates our social ambition for Paris 2024 - we want exemplary and purposeful Games that positively impact society long after the competition has come to a close; Games that leave a lasting legacy for the greatest number of people in France."

Laurent Berger, General Secretary of the French Democratic Labour Confederation, said:

"The CFDT has decided to support the candidature of Paris for the organisation of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games with the intention of making it an exemplary project. The Games will be an opportunity to invest in areas that are sometimes neglected, to develop employment and to create new infrastructures for sectors such as transport and leisure.

"The CFDT has given its support so that the candidature of Paris carries with it a true social ambition. The Social Charter testifies to this ambition. If we are awarded the Games, we will work to ensure that this Charter is implemented in practice."

Alain Giffard, General Secretary of the French Confederation of Management - General Confederation of Managers, said:

"The practice of sport in companies contributes to productivity and allows employees to stay in shape. The Paris 2024 bid can work in this way by enhancing sport throughout society."

Bernard Sagez, Secretary General of the French Confederation of Christian Workers, said:

"The CFTC is pleased to support the Paris 2024 bid. There is no better showcase to demonstrate the expertise of our companies than these Games. But behind the organisation of this sporting event, there are male and female workers at all levels, from volunteers and temporary workers to employees and self-employed people, who must be protected and their professional career paths secured. By signing the Social Charter, the CFTC ensures that this objective will be implemented."

Philippe Martinez, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Labour, said:

"The universality of the Olympic and Paralympic Games must go hand in hand with the universality of social rights for workers. This is why the CGT is committed to the development and signing of the Paris 2024 Social Charter."

Jean-Claude Mailly, General Secretary of Force Ouvrière, said:

"The essential thing is to commit to ensuring that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are socially respectful of labour laws, collective agreements and the principle of equal pay for equal work throughout the supply chain."

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