But this does not prevent the glow strokes

In becoming officially champions football last Saturday France, Marseille players have won more than a sports title. They also won a golden parachute alluresde bonus: almost 300,000 euros for those who have the most played this season. In addition to a pay monthly more than 100,000 euros on average to OM.

Yet, no matter if they do train a few hours per day for sometimes fabulous salaries, athletes are among the most unionized employees of France. In this environment, marked by the spirit of competition and the search for individual performance, professionals have the social fiber. About 87 of adhering to a Trade Union in football, 67 in the basket, 60 in rugby and 50 in the handball... Members who do not join large power plants - far membership rates - but their sport-specific organizations.

Surprisingly "Athletes are like other employees," hammer unions in unison. And then, "the economy of sport is subject to litigation, demonstrated Gaël Arandiga, Director of Provale, the Rugby Union.". There are more or less recurring difficulties: respect for contracts, delays of wages or injuries that prevent a player to carry on business. "Many questions that encourage players to join. Not through political concern, but because these organizations provide a tailor-made service, in contrast to the traditional trade unions. "Our members have no interest to speak to large power plants, continued Gaël Arandiga.". There are in the rugby of the specificities that the CGT or FO had difficulty accepting, as work on Sunday.

Less than 3,000 euros per month

The unions are all the more the full that they are in a situation of monopoly in each discipline. "It is trade and service trade unionism, observed Jean-Charles bassoon, doctor in political science and senior lecturer at the University of Toulouse 3" Athletes do not commit to a cause, but because that they need. They are between them, represented by people who were themselves sports.

Among the issues that these organizations are brought in to handle First, the players are not all of the rich. Because a career is not only charts and sumptuous remuneration matches. "Outside, we see people who earn extremely well their lives should be Marc - Olivier Albertini, President of the AJPH (players Association professionals dehandball).". But in the first division, the average salary is less than 3,000 euros per month. And for a player on two, the "d1" career lasted less than three years.

Athletes will be therefore assisted in their attempt to conversion by training to become a coach, or even to change trades later: commercial, banker, architect... The rich will be assisted in the management of their heritage, history to avoid risky investments or the misadventure of the basketball player Boris Diaw, do of 40.000 euros by his former adviser. Others still have injury insurance to avoid a loss of wages during their inactivity.

For all, it is also to be represented at best to find the specific disciplines (vacation pay, minimum wage) sectoral agreements. Moderate all at a cost: the assessment for the year for a footballer rises to 290 euros in Ligue 1, with a supplement attached to certain services. It must be said that the National Union of professional footballers (UNFP) is also financed by the rights to broadcast the games on television, which it receives about 1.

A new idea

In sport, trade unionism is a new idea. Except in football, to which the UNFP was born in 1961, the organizations exist for less than twenty years. Moreover, all sports do not have their Union. Nevertheless, they were able to impose certain ideas, such as the creation of a system of social protection or the right to the Assedic. They also participated in the development of the national collective of sport in 2005. And now are players that it is better to listen to. Because in this environment, a conflict can be costly: in January, the Saint-Etienne football club was sentenced by the tribunal of the labor to pay 1.14 million euros in damages and interest to coach Laurent Roussey, licensed end of 2008.

Pressure groups

In General, the confrontation is not part of the character. "The unions are more pressure groups", analysis Jean-Charles bassoon. But this does not prevent the glow strokes. Last season, the national Union of basketball (SNB) has mobilized its players in a lightning strike in less than a minute at the start of the games. At stake: the introduction of quotas of players trained by French clubs. Always last season, the only threat of the UNFP to boycott the 10ejournée of the France of football championship - with the OM - PSG poster at the-a program is bend the club Presidents, who had to give up to become a majority on the Board of Directors of the League.

Today, six unions main (football, basketball, cycling, handball, rugby and athletics), which shall consult one another and are represented by the FNASS (National Federation of associations and unions of sports), have new topics on the fire. As the anti-doping rules or even the development of the schedule of games, particularly sensitive in rugby where the intense pace of meetings weighs on the health of the players.

However, these organizations face structural barriers. The first: the low representation of players in their governing bodies. "We are in a paradoxical situation, regrets Marc - Olivier Albertini of the AJPH." The players are the engines of the show, but they are not related to decision-making. "The Steering Committee of the National Basketball League, a seat on seventeen is reserved for them. And in handball, the ratio is two to forty.

Big bang in view

Sometimes it is the effectiveness of Union action which is disputed. Vikash Dhorasoo, one of the few football players dismissed for "serious misconduct" by his club (MTP, in 2006), does not mince his words on the UNFP: "They do never defended me, never past a call, he said on the Union to which he was affiliated." They thought that they had nothing to gain in the case. But a Union must be to the sides of the employee. Them, all they do is representation: present awards to players, pay for meals in the tour. They are useless.

But this is nothing compared to the big bang ahead of sports in two years trade unions and a half. In 2013, will enter into force Act of August 20, 2008 for renovation of social democracy. A law that opens in all (only sports) unions elections in staff, fixed at 10 in companies the threshold of votes in the first round to be considered as representative and requires two years of seniority for representatives. "With all that, we can imagine that the sports unions are excluded from the negotiations, anticipates Jeff Reymond, responsible for the development to the SNB is concerned about not being able to present delegates. How will find players that meet the criteria for election while they are in CSD and does not remain still two years in their club

This could be the end of a monopoly. "We are ready to run candidates in the sports organisations, said Jean-François Davoust, responsible for sport the CGT issues." We already have many comrades in rugby. "The CGT thus landings in sport, more than half a century after denied membership of footballers of Saint-Etienne on the pretext that they did not belong to the labour world. For its part, the UNECATEF, the Union of football coaches, already plans to join the CFDT. Then soon, perhaps, power stations and sports unions will do more than.