Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 7, 2008 6:11:24 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

France Bids Adieu to 35-Hour Work Week

Posted Jul 24, 08 4:55 AM CDT in World,  Business 

(Newser) – The French parliament has passed landmark legislation eliminating the 35-hour cap on the work week, Reuters reports. President Nicolas Sarkozy has long blamed the short week for France's economic struggles. Most employees work longer, but accumulate overtime pay or vacation days for the extra hours. Tens of thousands of French workers demonstrated against the reform last month.

"Companies will at last be able to operate a management policy based on a secure legal framework," said a ruling party lawmaker. "It's a remarkable advance for the economy." But critics charge the economy could suffer a blow from the loss of consumer purchasing power currently earned from overtime work, and that the change will substitute longer hours for job creation.

Source Reuters

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Europe Agrees to Take It One Financial Crisis at a Time

    Oct 5, 08 10:53 AM CDT
    Europe Agrees to Take It One Financial Crisis at a Time Leaders of Europe’s four biggest economies did not settle on a unified plan for tackling the financial crisis, the Washington Post reports. Instead, each country will deal with banking problems as they crop up. While France’s Nicolas Sarkozy hoped for a Europe-wide plan, British and German leaders were opposed to a single safety-net fund.
    More »

  • French Economy Enters Recession

    Oct 3, 08 9:08 AM CDT
    French Economy Enters Recession France has entered a recession. The national statistics agency projects that the economy will contract by 0.1% in the third and fourth quarters of 2008, meeting the generally accepted definition. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde blamed the troubles on high oil prices, the strength of the euro earlier this year, and the worsening financial crisis across the globe. More »

  • Euros Eat Their Words as Own Bailouts Loom

    Sep 30, 08 2:38 PM CDT
    Euros Eat Their Words as Own Bailouts Loom European leaders are eating their words a week after criticizing the US for allowing its banks to run dry and engineering a system-wide bailout for financial firms, Bloomberg reports. Governments across Europe, including Germany, the UK, Belgium and France bailed out banks across the continent and pledged support for others as Europe faces its own financial meltdown. More »

  • Bruni Meets Up With Metallica

    Sep 17, 08 8:45 AM CDT
    Bruni Meets Up With Metallica France's first lady shared a bill with Metallica on a British music show last night, the BBC reports. Former model Carla Bruni tapped her foot and clapped as the headbangers played—then joined host Jools Holland for a bluesy ballad. Bruni discussed the challenges of living both as a pop star and as wife to "very kind" French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
    More »

  • EU Holds Emergency Summit on Georgia

    Sep 1, 08 2:53 AM CDT
    EU Holds Emergency Summit on Georgia European Union leaders gather in Brussels in an emergency session today to review their stance on Russia’s invasion of Georgia. It's the first emergency EU meeting since the run-up to the Iraq war in 2003. With conflicting positions from the UK, France and Germany, analysts say the summit will likely produce support for Georgia and a major rethink on European ties with Russia—but no radical changes, reports the Guardian.
    More »

French workers protesting last month against legislation to scrap the 35 hour week and allow employers to negotiate longer hours.   (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
Commuters crowd into a subway train in Paris. French workers face longer work weeks now the government has crapped the compulsory 35-hour week.   (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy.   (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

France  • Nicolas Sarkozy  • labor unions  • French economy


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Business Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »