As the Court is not the only one to occur

The Court of Auditors calls this the "monitoring" of its recommendations. For the business of EDF Committee, this means that trouble again... Three years after their last report, the judges of the rue Cambon again investigating the central fund social activities, the now famous CCAS. And their initial findings announced a fall complicated for the richest of France. As the Court is not the only one to occur. In the judicial field, also, the folder is reactive (see box).

Passed this summer at the public authorities, to the companies and the relevant trade union leaders, the prérapport of the Court accounts provides a table surrealist of the organism off standards, always led by the CGT, and the colossal means-470 million euros this yearto fund canteens, holiday centres and recreation of nearly 700,000 electricians-gas and their families. Not fake tender, no surcharges, nor of fictitious jobs in this "record of provisional observations". Just the clinical description of an institution engaged in itself undermined by the inefficiencies and malfunctions of any kind.

Its the toughest blows, the Court barking in the chapter on the levy of 1. So the heart of the system of financing of the CCAS. This famous 1, this is what ensures since 1946 and the nationalization of electricity so comfortable this of EDF budget. Instead to receive 1 of payroll, as is almost always the case in private, the latter affects each year 1 of the sales of gas and electricity. Over the past ten years, this collection is increased mechanically EUR 100 million, under the effect of the gas and electricity price increases. What create of real budgetary margins of manoeuvre for the social institutions of the branch... Yet, never the financial situation of the CCAS seemed so fragile. The EC of EDF came last year a loss of EUR 32 million, which exceeded 60 million without an exceptional payment of the coordination Committee, the structure responsible for allocating the proceeds of 1 between Caisse centrale and its different decentralized offices. And it is not better this year: "end of 2010, the deficit is close to 70 million", predicted the CCAS administrator. Therefore, how can we not wonder about how are used the resources of the Enterprise Committee Several occasions, the judges of the Court of Auditors point through to system "step of all conducive to the economies of management", dealing with "primarily the financing of administrative burdens", at the expense of actual social activities.

The reform of the structures of the CCAS provides a nice illustration. On paper, this is the example of a useful site: launched in 2007, including his ambition was to simplify the Organization of the EC, by reducing the number of local offices (mutual complementary and social action, but also the thousand of "local sections of life" which mesh the hexagonal territory). Targets hailed by the Court of Auditors. Except that at no time this reform was undertaken to achieve savings or to reduce the cost of personal. In terms of personnel, it is even the opposite has happened: December 31, 2009, the company EDF Committee had 3.929 permanent collaborators. They were only 3.800 in 2008 and 3.541 the previous year. "The reform of the social institutions therefore leads to a growth in employment ..., find the elders of the rue Cambon, in total contradiction with the recommendations of the Court of Auditors on the need to control management fees. In a way General, the authors of the report regretted that the reform in question did the object "no prior financial simulation, or on staff costs, or expenses" of current operation, or real estate expenses.

The prize pool of the coordination Committee

The leaders of the CCAS have yet not enough advice! From April 2007 to December 2009, the Fund has paid more than 22 million euros of cost of studies and advice, including 11.9 million for 2009 alone... Alone, "the firm BPI collected ...". "between July 2007 and December 2009 more of EUR 3 million for the support of the reform", the Court noted. Better: CCAS also paid it the bills for his travel expenses, estimated at almost EUR 3 million, without it having never asked the proof of these expenses... "On the merits, grinding the Court of Auditors, the amount committed for BPI seems particularly disproportionate for structural reform that brings no economy and earnings on the efficiency of expenditures remain to show..."

In its small quirks Overview home, the Court focuses, a little further on what it calls the "pot" of the coordination committee. Current, 2006, the latter indeed decided to build a "Fund of national Prudential reserves", the SGC asking on this occasion opening a bank account separate, to collect any surplus of the revenues of the CCAS. But not only... By tracing the manner in which has fuelled this Fund for four years, the Court accounts actually found that the Coordinating Committee is was granted in 2008 part of the surplus of the product of 1 - a sum of EUR 5,89 million - without justifying his action. More surprising, the Committee also took used to collect a portion of the funds normally intended for social activities, and they only "at source". This was the case in 2008, for a $ 5 million, and again last year for... EUR 18.4 million. Yet contrary to the statutory provisions, these payments "did the subject of no control", deplored the Court. They have also carried out with the implicit agreement of EDF, "which was not unaware their nature", and that the Ministry responsible not to in object... Another source of funding comes regularly agree Prudential reserves Fund: in 2006, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR), subsidiary of the Suez Group, not subject to the levy of 1, was indeed negotiated with its unions the payment of a lump sum "voluntary contribution" of 1.2 million euros per year, destined exclusively "social work". Decision of the coordination Committee "Do not distribute the 1.2 million euros of the NRC to keep in reserve at the national level." It was in 2007 and 2008, says the Court of Auditors. Ending its address describing the use of the prize pool by the menu. More often, the reserve fund to give cash advances to local funds have exceeded their budget. "Open without conditions or on criteria arising from the assessment policy and the Union of the local situation, these advances are a bonus to the mismanagement of staff," hammer the drafters of the report. In another they also condemn the financing of projects "to political", as "supply crisis" set up last year and, in fact, "to assign a complement to pay aid to vacations for employees strikers from the beginning of the year 2008". "". "The incentive to trade union movements support is not part of the social object of CCAS and the coordination Committee", concludes the Court.

If it insists on the subject, it is that in his view this type of practice illustrates the abuse of the system and the need for reform. In 2007, already, the Court of Auditors had argued in his report for a change in the mode of financing of the social activities of the electric and gas industry. In the coming months, his message has all chances to be heard. Because the public authorities, too, seem determined to open the site. "That described the Court of Auditors shows that it is urgent to flat throughout the system," recognizes the Department of energy and sustainable development. The trade union organizations are perfectly aware: June 28, Jean-Louis Borloo wrote them to ask them to engage with companies in the sector of negotiations aimed at "modernizing the functioning of the social bodies." A mail stating verbatim "the redefinition of base of funding of social institutions, their control and their governance." Beautiful altercation in perspective. Especially in two months of the professional elections. In the meantime, the EC of EDF made the round back. Its Board of Directors requested a period of three months to respond to the observations of the Court of Auditors. And prepares to receive the findings of another series of investigations: these will focus on the acquisition of Trigano and campgrounds Vacances Loisirs Activ management ', a strategy bringing together former social security vacation centres. Since its inception, in 2007, he has continued to cost money to CCAS...