Understanding collective layoffs in France

A French PSE is not a done deal: the DREETS can refuse it upfront, or an administrative court can annul it afterwards. Sanofi 2025, Auchan 2025, Arkema 2025, Goodyear 2020 — recent cases show the concrete grounds that bring a PSE down, and what that means for affected employees.

You're a foreign worker in France (salarié residence permit, Passport Talent, temporary worker) and your company is launching a social plan. Your rights, your residence permit, your unemployment access, your deadlines — everything you need to know to avoid losing legal status.

You sit on the CSE or are a union delegate, and your company has just announced a PSE. Where to focus negotiation, what resources to mobilise, and how to read management's room to manoeuvre — a strategic guide drawn from official sources and CSE expert practice.

CSP is offered to all economically dismissed employees in companies under 1,000 staff. 21 days to decide, 75% gross salary, 12 months of support. Complete guide to deciding without regret.

You've just learned your position is within a PSE perimeter. Before any irreversible decision, 5 essential steps to understand your rights, evaluate options, and negotiate from strength.

After an economic dismissal, you have access to several training funding mechanisms — CPF, AIF, ARE Formation, even CSP. Combined intelligently, they allow funding a long training without income loss. How-to.

Supra-legal indemnity is anything above the legal or collective minimum. In a PSE, it often represents the bulk of the package. Calculation, 2026 taxation, and negotiation strategy.

Economic dismissal: depending on your company size, you get either a reclassement leave or a CSP — not both. Quantified comparison and decision criteria for the rare cases where you actually have a choice.

The PDV (Voluntary Departure Plan) allows a company to reduce headcount on a voluntary basis — without forced layoffs. Legal framework, comparison with PSE and RCC, indemnities and watchpoints.

Created by the 2017 Macron ordonnances, the RCC is the most protective voluntary-only instrument in French labour law. No forced layoffs possible, mandatory DREETS validation, negotiated indemnities.

GPEC (Borloo law 2005) and GEPP (Macron ordonnances 2017) are two generations of the same tool: forward-looking workforce planning. Three-yearly obligation for 300+ employee companies.

From the announcement to the dismissal letter, a PSE follows a strict timeline defined by French Labour Code — 2 to 4 months of CSE consultation, 15 or 21 days for DREETS, then notice and reclassement leave.