Four unions at Stellantis asking for 7.3%-8.5% pay rises in France – sources

PARIS (Reuters) -Four unions at carmaker Stellantis are asking for a pay rise of between 7.3% and 8.5% in France to cope with the soaring cost of living, union sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Five unions are taking part in the Stellantis wage talks, with the fifth, the hardline CGT, asking for increases of more than 8.5%, although the CGT only formulates its demands in absolute numbers, not in percentages.

The wage demands range from an increase of 7.3% for CFTC and CFDT, to 8.3% for CFE-CGC and 8.5% for Force Ouvrière.

CGT negotiators want a monthly minimum wage of at least 2,000 euros ($2,100) net for every worker and are also asking for a wage increase of 400 euros per month net for every worker, regardless of salary level.

A Stellantis spokesperson said that given a current inflation level of around 6.3%, Stellantis France had decided in October – in response to union demands – to bring forward the 2023 wage talks to start on Dec. 1.

“These advanced talks are part of a number of measures taken in 2022 to boost staff purchasing power. The target of this day is to negotiate a well-balanced agreement that is good for the company’s staff as well as for its competitiveness,” he said.

Stellantis said on Sept. 27 it would provide financial support worth up to 1,400 euros to most of its employees in France and would soon discuss a similar move in Italy.

Italian unions representing staff at Stellantis and other carmakers last month demanded wage rises of 8.4% for 2023.

Europe’s cost-of-living crisis is putting upward pressure on wage inflation as companies across the continent face demands from workers to cushion the impact of rising prices.

($1 = 0.9520 euros)

(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume; Writing by GV De Clercq; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Mark Potter)