This fourth issue of the Pirate Letter is centered on compensation, following the June round of raises.
It is again written with Back Makers from our sister union CGT España!
Did you get a fair review? You can’t know!
The only information available to us is our position in the “Compensation Ranges”.
We are then told our salaries cannot be negotiated because they follow those secret “Ranges”.
This fake transparency is no better than opacity.
Worse, managers do not set their team’s global compensation budget. But they are the ones taking the heat during pay reviews instead of the ones in charge. So they’ll let you know that if you get a raise, your team mates are paying for it – and it’s true. This is a lose-lose situation, for managers and managees collectively.
Soon, a EU law will force companies to disclose average salaries. We ask BM to take the lead: disclose the Ranges now!
Not enough money to begin with
We’re told Back Makers below their Range get a bigger raise, to catch up with their peers.
But in some teams, the budget is too small to give the required raise to all below-range Back Makers to get them back in the range.
That leads to 2 issues:
- First, people can’t thrive at their level while staying up to the market standards. In any other company, you’d become high-in-range after some time at the same level. Not at Back Market.
- Second, the lack of budget builds up “delays” in case of a promotion to the next level. There is not enough budget for a low-in-range L3 to become a low-in-range L4, so they become below-range L4. They’ll need a few rounds of raises to catch up and make it to low-in-range.
Because of this logic, some have been stuck at below or entry Range for years.
Tell us where you are in the range
Answer our anonymous poll and help us prove BM does not allocate enough money to meet its own commitment to fair compensation.
To find your position in the range, you can:
- Go on Workday: Profile picture > View Profile > Job in the left menu > Additional data
- Or ask your manager or people partner
Answer our anonymous poll on compensation
We’ll share the result in our newsletters.
Hot Days, Cool Team
Big thanks to all the Back Makers who made it possible for our loved ones to take refuge in the French offices during the recent heatwave!
This is what “One Team, One Time” should mean.
We also appreciate the trust that was (re)given to work from wherever made the most sense for us. CSE members tell us management was against it a few days before – hence the late announcenement. We hope next time, such decisions will be shared ahead of time to help us organize ourselves.
France: CSE vs unions vs Solidaires?
We often get asked: what the difference is between the CSE and Solidaires Informatique?
CSE Work Council
This council’s members are elected every 4 years among employees with a French contract. The CSE advises management on workplace health and safety. By law, it is responsible for all social and cultural activities (e.g. Leeto). The CSE has to be consulted on all major economic or organizational topics, but its opinion is purely advisory.
A Trade Union
A union is an independent organization defending employees. Everybody can join a union. The small fee allows the union to pay lawyers to defend workers.
A union can present candidates for the CSE elections. If they win enough votes, the union can then negociate binding agreements with the company.
Solidaires Info
It is a union that defends the rights and interests of workers in tech, and promotes change for society at large, outside of party politics. Solidaires is green, feminist, pro-LGBTI+, anti-racist, anti-fascist, and anti-capitalist.
Solidaires Info is present at OVH, 360 Learning, OCTO, Cap Gemini, Blizzard:, Ubisoft, Red Hat, and many other companies!
Next CSE elections will be next year. Let’s make a difference!
If Solidaires Info wins enough votes, that will trigger mandatory negotiations on compensation (or any other union, see French Labor Law, article L2242-1).
Do you want to get involved? Contact us!
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