France at war over 35-hour working week

The French government and opposition parties were squaring off today on plans to reform the short working week – a pillar of the previous Socialist administration now denounced by critics as economically crippling.

Unions have already called for protests against the proposals to let employees work more overtime. But proponents say workers will be able to earn more by relaxing the current law limiting the working week to 35 hours.

Parliamentary debate starting today on the proposals promised to be heated.

Socialist former labour minister Martine Aubry has said that the reform would sound the death knell for the 35-hour week she helped put in place and would set France back 40 or 50 years socially.

Trade union leader Francois Chereque denounced as “a lie” government arguments that workers will fatten their pay packets with more overtime.

Chereque said the economy is too weak for companies to be able to afford extra hours.

The conservative government is predicting economic growth of 2.5% this year and says the 35 hour week is too much of a burden for companies, state finances and for workers who want to earn more.

The previous Socialist government, voted out in 2002, shortened the working week from 39 hours.

The idea was that companies would hire more employees to compensate, reducing unemployment, but France still has an unemployment rate of about 10%.