labour law reforms

Protest marches were held across major French towns and cities on Tuesday, joined by strike action notably among transport workers, in opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's business-friendly reforms to free-up the labour law, notably making it easier for firms to hire and fire, which are due to be implemented later this month.

The French government has presented the detail of its labour law reform, which were a pillar of President Emmanuel Macron’s election manifesto and which he said was urgent "because it will create jobs". But already, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe has downplayed the importance of the reforms, which he now describes as “just the start”. Mediapart economics correspondent Romaric Godin argues in this op-ed article that this is a typical example of the rhetoric surrounding liberal reforms, such as during the European debt crisis, in which their limited results become obscured by the supposed necessity for yet more urgent deregulation.

Newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron has made the introduction of structural reforms in France one the priorities of his five-year term, beginning with a freeing-up of labour market regulations which he intends pushing through parliament this summer in the form of executive decrees. He began consultations with union leaders and employers this week, but he has made clear that the fundamentals are not negotiable, raising the prospect of a costly social conflict. To help steer this controversial and potentially divisive labour law reform into place a team of three key advisors have been appointed and who are profiled here by Dan Israel and Manuel Jardinaud.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday met with trades union leaders to discuss the sweeping labour law reforms he plans to introduce this summer, which were a key element of his election manifesto and which include making hiring and firing easier, moving wage bargaining to company level and capping financial awards to employees by labour tribunals.

Unions claimed 170,000 joined nationwide demonstrations against the socialist government's labour law reforms, despite the fact they have already become law through use of a decree that bypassed parliamentary approval.

The socialist government again used a decree to dispense with parliamentary approval for adoption of the bill which became law on Thursday evening.

The FO union claimed the target figure of one million people turned out in nationwide marches against reform bill aimed at liberalising labour market.

Blockades at waste collection centres are preventing rubbish collection in the capital and other cities, while strikes are also disrupting rail services.

Nationwide demonstrations against labour law reforms have seen fierce battles involving protestors and police, causing serious injuries.

Manuel Valls said French are 'too used to feeling that reform is impossible and it’s enough to contest it in the street for reform not to happen'.

Trades union protests against labour law reforms, along with separate pay demands, will this week see widespread rail and air transport strikes.

Democracy belongs to neither the Left nor the Right, and when it is flouted by governments of either political side every democrat worthy of the name must simply say “no”, argues Mediapart editor-in-chief Edwy Plenel following the socialist government’s decision to force through parliament, without a vote, its controversial labour law reforms which, he writes in this op-ed, represent a social regression for every employee in France.