EMPLOYMENT POLICY AND SOCIAL TRANSFERS: THE SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE PTT IN FRANCE (1931-1991)

THE BREAKDOWN OF POSTAL MODELS

Abstract

This article analyses the specific social model of the French PTT organization between 1931 and 1991 when its status was that of an administration although it was operating as a company. It asks if this model could be qualified as “paternalistic”. Different stages of the social model of the French Post Office were identified through historical analysis of the system of control of the workforce and examination of the organization’s financial resources and management and consultation methods. Social activities were originally founded by staff member but they were taken over by the administration in 1931 and reorganized in 1946 when they served primarily to manage post-war shortage and to influence the behavior of younger staff. These activities subsequently became part of employment policy and were used to support geographic mobility and promote organizational change. This evolution was different from the organization and management of the social activities of other French public services such as EDF or SNCF. Analysis of the history of these activities highlights their importance in relation to indirect social transfers within the public service.