France's LEEM signs disabled employment convention

The French research-based drug industry association, the LEEM, has signed an accord with the sector's labor unions (CFDT, CFTC, FO, CGT, CFE-CGC and the SNPADVM) to increase employment opportunities for disabled people in pharmaceutical firms. According to the LEEM, this is the first agreement of its kind to have been adopted by a French business sector.

Under the terms of the deal, drugmakers are expected to recruit at least 400 disabled people within the next five years. The LEEM noted that the decision to move in this direction was "all the more exemplary," in that the drug sector in France is undergoing a significant amount of work force restructuring. Before being confirmed, the accord between the drugmakers and the labor unions must be submitted to national authorities for review and approval.