French demonstrate to keep 35-hour work week

[Conservativesux]

French demonstrate to keep 35-hour work week

Sat Feb 5, 2005

PARIS (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of French people took part in demonstrations across the country to protest against government plans to reform the 35-hour work week.

Organized by an alliance of trade-unions and backed by the opposition Socialist party (PS), more than half a million people took part in marches in 100 towns and cities -- with 90,000 joining the largest demonstration in Paris. Police put the overall figure at slightly more than 250,000.

The protests came as a bill to enable private sector employees to opt for longer hours makes its way through parliament. The bill is expected to pass its first reading in the National Assembly on Monday.

The key social change of the last Socialist administration, the mandatory 35-hour week has been attacked by President Jacques Chirac's centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) for putting up the cost of labour and helping create the country's stubbornly high unemployment.

More at:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1519&ncid=732&e=7&u=/afp/20050205/bs_afp/francelabourprotests

[merwin]

1. People know how to protest in Europe. We could learn from them.

[brainshrub]

2. They can protest because they have a 35-hour week that's ENFORCED.

Not an unenforced 40 hour week here... when in actuality you are expected to work 45-50 hours.

Political activity is only possible when people have the time to engage in it. That's why so little happens right now among the American middle-class. They are so busy working, they don't get to see the problems around them until it's to late.

[alittlelark]

3. We will outperform them on March 19th

.... we damn well better !

[98geoduck]

4. Heavily Unionized and don't have to take so much shit from Gov't

Even the family farmer can evoke changes in policy.

[whatelseisnew]

5. The changes would not effect the public sector...

which employs nearly one in four French workers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4225139.stm

Some companies here say the limits on overtime and the
working week are making them uncompetitive, even though
French employees are more productive per hour than their
American or British counterparts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4225243.stm

Tension has been building since the centre-right government
of President Jacques Chirac unveiled plans to overhaul the
country's social security system and labour market.

Many people see the reforms as the thin end of the wedge,
and are worried about losing employee rights and protection.

Policymakers already have made it less attractive for
employees to retire at 60 and increased the importance and
availability of private pension schemes.