French People Strike Against Much Needed Reform...Refuse to work more than 35 Hours/week

[Dari]

link

The lazy french are at again, with another strike.

A national strike is expected to bring much of France to a standstill on Tuesday.

People planning to travel by plane, train or bus are likely to face severe disruption.

Schools and public services such as gas and electricity will also be affected.

The strike has been called by France's main trade unions as part of a protest against reforms to the state pension system which would force people to work longer.

The reforms have been proposed by the Conservative Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

His government wants public sector employees - who make up a quarter of the workforce - to work for two and a half more years than at present in order to qualify for a full pension.

The move is designed to cover a financial shortfall in the pensions system which is expected to reach 50bn euros (£36bn; $57.4bn) by 2020.

Cancelling flights

Union leader Marc Blondel has accused the government of trying to smash France's collective pensions system.

"If people are discontent, it should be possible to get the upper hand and secure a withdrawal of the proposals," he told the Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

Mr Raffarin has said he is determined to push the measures through parliament.

And in an open letter to the French people he warned that if nothing was done to deal with the problem of an ageing population, then in 20 years pensions would be halved.

A strike on the same issue last month crippled rail and air travel.

This time Air France expects to cancel two-thirds of domestic and European flights but is expecting to run all long-haul services.

Other European airlines, including British Airways, are cancelling large numbers of their flights.

Mangers say that about a quarter of France's high-speed TGV trains will run. The Eurostar to London is expected to run as usual.

Sea ports are also likely to be closed for at least part of the day.

 

[SViscusi]

Where in the article does how many hours they work a week come up?

 

[Vadatajs]

Why should we, the USA care? This is just pointless french bashing, thanks a lot, oh enlightened one...

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: SViscusi
Where in the article does how many hours they work a week come up?

For the pension plan to be funded for properly, the french will have to work longer hours. It was only a couple of years ago that they passed the law stating that a work-week was 36 hours.

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: Vadatajs
Why should we, the USA care? This is just pointless french bashing, thanks a lot, oh enlightened one...

this is the politics and news forum, this thread is right where it belongs. Your thread crapping however has NO place on any of our forums....


Thanks for the article Dari...

 

[SViscusi]

Originally posted by: Dari

Originally posted by: SViscusi
Where in the article does how many hours they work a week come up?

For the pension plan to be funded for properly, the french will have to work longer hours. It was only a couple of years ago that they passed the law stating that a work-week was 36 hours.

They have a law stating the work week is only 36 hours? France rules.

Now is this for goverment only employees, or does it apply to every industry?

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: SViscusi

Originally posted by: Dari

Originally posted by: SViscusi
Where in the article does how many hours they work a week come up?

For the pension plan to be funded for properly, the french will have to work longer hours. It was only a couple of years ago that they passed the law stating that a work-week was 36 hours.

They have a law stating the work week is only 36 hours? France rules.

Now is this for goverment only employees, or does it apply to every industry?

I think it applies to everyone. But this is terrible for businesses, especially the small ones. Not only do people work only 36 hours, they don't like overtime. And firing employees is like pulling teeth. All this leads to worse service and higher costs passed onto the consumer.

 

[burnedout]

About 10 years ago, Germans experienced similar conflict over a 37 hour work week.

 

[Fencer128]

Here is a good article on France reducing working hours. Please be sure to read it all before posting!

Cheers,

Andy

BTW I dispute your claim that the French are "lazy" - but then we all know what you feel about certain countries, don't we?

 

[kleinesarschloch]

Originally posted by: Dari

Originally posted by: SViscusi
Where in the article does how many hours they work a week come up?

For the pension plan to be funded for properly, the french will have to work longer hours. It was only a couple of years ago that they passed the law stating that a work-week was 36 hours.

the article states they will have to work 2.5 years longer. the purpose is to keep them in the workforce longer and reduce the time they are receiving pension. some other european countries also have short working weeks, which is NOT because of lazyness, but a measure to combat unemployment. this is indeed just another attempt to pin a stereotype on the french. i think i like this game: are all of you americans this dumb, that you can't even read the article?

 

[Crimson]

His government wants public sector employees - who make up a quarter of the workforce - to work for two and a half more years than at present in order to qualify for a full pension.

Public Sector workers make up 25% of the workforce?!?! WOAH! No wonder why things are screwed up there.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: Fencer128
Here is a good article on France reducing working hours. Please be sure to read it all before posting!

Cheers,

Andy

BTW I dispute your claim that the French are "lazy" - but then we all know what you feel about certain countries, don't we?

I doubt if that site is really impartial. They forget to mention that hiring more people leads to higher training costs. It also leads to higher insurance and other liability costs. the fact is, hiring more people for what a few can do is just dimb.

If you need to fulfill a 400hr/week slot at your job, and you hire 11 people, as opposed to 10, then you are paying more than you would otherwise have to. That is just plain dumb. If they want even more people employed, they may as well reduce the work-week to 10 hours and let everyone be employed.

 

[Fencer128]

I doubt if that site is really impartial. They forget to mention that hiring more people leads to higher training costs. It also leads to higher insurance and other liability costs. the fact is, hiring more people for what a few can do is just dimb.

If you need to fulfill a 400hr/week slot at your job, and you hire 11 people, as opposed to 10, then you are paying more than you would otherwise have to. That is just plain dumb. If they want even more people employed, they may as well reduce the work-week to 10 hours and let everyone be employed.

I'm no economist so I can't say that you are right or wrong with your analysis there. How will that affect the economy of the country as a whole - I'm not sure. However, to take it to the extreme of a 10 hour working week is maybe far-fetched?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: Crimson

His government wants public sector employees - who make up a quarter of the workforce - to work for two and a half more years than at present in order to qualify for a full pension.

Public Sector workers make up 25% of the workforce?!?! WOAH! No wonder why things are screwed up there.

No doubt....there is something very wrong when 1/4 of your workforce is working in the public sector.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Isn't the standard work week in Europe around 35 - 37 hours everywhere?

Seems like the U.S. is the country that is stuck on underpaying the workers, and minimalizing benifits.
Most of those countries give 3 weeks vacation for every 4 months worked or their abouts i've heard.

It may not be lazy, it may just a different way of doing business where corprate proffit is not the driver.
People of Middle Earth, tell us of your plight - enlighten us.
What kind of benefits and work compensation do you get in the EU ?
Medical ?, Vacation ?, Retirement ?, Blind dates with Madonna ?

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: Crimson

His government wants public sector employees - who make up a quarter of the workforce - to work for two and a half more years than at present in order to qualify for a full pension.

Public Sector workers make up 25% of the workforce?!?! WOAH! No wonder why things are screwed up there.

No doubt....there is something very wrong when 1/4 of your workforce is working in the public sector.

I call it socialism.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Isn't the standard work week in Europe around 35 - 37 hours everywhere?

Seems like the U.S. is the country that is stuck on underpaying the workers, and minimalizing benifits.
Most of those countries give 3 weeks vacation for every 4 months worked or their abouts i've heard.

It may not be lazy, it may just a different way of doing business where corprate proffit is not the driver.
People of Middle Earth, tell us of your plight - enlighten us.
What kind of benefits and work compensation do you get in the EU ?
Medical ?, Vacation ?, Retirement ?, Blind dates with Madonna ?

And I bet you think 10% unemployment (as in Germany) is good, right? How about 58% percent of your salary going to the gov't, great idea, right? How about letting the government determine how the economy works, as opposed to market forces? The fact is, capitalism, as practiced by the Anglo-Saxon world, is the best economy out there. It is being adopted throughout east asia and (hopefully) the rest of the industralizing world. The socialist European model is an utter joke that is bound to collapse, as we are seeing in france right now.

 

[ConclamoLudus]

Nobody should ever have to work at all. :Q I would love to have a 35 hour work week.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Isn't the standard work week in Europe around 35 - 37 hours everywhere?

Seems like the U.S. is the country that is stuck on underpaying the workers, and minimalizing benifits.
Most of those countries give 3 weeks vacation for every 4 months worked or their abouts i've heard.

It may not be lazy, it may just a different way of doing business where corprate proffit is not the driver.
People of Middle Earth, tell us of your plight - enlighten us.
What kind of benefits and work compensation do you get in the EU ?
Medical ?, Vacation ?, Retirement ?, Blind dates with Madonna ?

You are a fool. Europeans and Americans are compenstated in similar amounts per the hour on average. The difference is that Americans choose to have money instead of vacation time and to not fund a general medical plan that covers the expenses of others. Europeans choose to have more vacation time with lower monetary compensation and additionaly choose to contribute larger portions of their monetary compensation into a general medical fund that covers everyone instead of paying insurance on only themselves.

Neither path is more right than the other. Each group prioritizes different benefits. If you prefer the other system, go live in it (this applies to both sides).

 

[0roo0roo]

well they choose to have giant goverment instead of giant military i guess.

i only care because anything that screws their country makes me happy.

 

[Alistar7]

The French instituted a study to determine the value of the money spent on a French Military Force, obviously they realized it was a worthless effort, surrendering is always free.....

 

[CaptnKirk]

My question was directed to residents of the EU.
I'm a Fool ? When did Utah or New York become members of the EU.
I was asking for them to comment on THEIR countries work ethics
and their benifits that went with working there.

We already know that the US is a work-to-death society.
The vacation compensation and work week is not for us
to negotiate - that's in the companys grip.
Our society used to embrace a 60 hour - no overtime work week,
but that ended back in the 20's or 30's with industrialization.
the 40 hour work week has only been a standard since the 40's.

Again - It's their countries not ours, if their structure pays them to
work a 36 hour week and taxes them accordingly, and provides
retirement, medical, and child care - that's their deal.
If 58 % work for their socialistic government - so what ?
It's their government and their country ? What do you want to do BOMB THEM ?

The U.S. better learn real soon that it can not consume 80 % of the world resources,
and tell 95 % of the world's population how to cater to our elitist 5 %, or we'll find out
that is U.S. has become a lonely Fortress America.

You mention 10% unemployment in Germany - our ADVERTISED nimber is 6%, but in reality
it is as high as 20% in some states with populations the size of Germany.
We have cities where due to plant closures the unemployment came neary to 1/2 the population
Try equating some of our states with their countries - closer population count of the statistical numbers.

We now know how Utah and New York think about how Germany and France should behave,
how about the people who actually live in these countries, they get a say in how they
get to live don't they ? Or dosen't their opinion count in the eyes of the Average U.S. Citizen.
How about those Swedes, or Belgians, or the Dutch, and there's Litchenstien - huge place.

 

[Fencer128]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
well they choose to have giant goverment instead of giant military i guess.

i only care because anything that screws their country makes me happy.

You need to let go of that aggression It'll eat you up inside....

Andy

 

[Zebo]

6% I have to laugh at this number. You'all do realise they only count those activly recieving un-employment benefits which I think only last a paltry 16 weeks. They don't count those who work part-time and want to be full-time, those who pass the 16 week deadline, those who just graduated school and can't find work, those who are physicstis working as dishwashers. I wonder what the number REALLY is. But IMO it's a useless value at the momnent.

When we start counting as the Germans do who include everyone because thier social wefare system records them as such when they go for benis, I'll have more faith is these silly numbers,

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
My question was directed to residents of the EU.
I'm a Fool ? When did Utah or New York become members of the EU.
I was asking for them to comment on THEIR countries work ethics
and their benifits that went with working there.

We already know that the US is a work-to-death society.
The vacation compensation and work week is not for us
to negotiate - that's in the companys grip.
Our society used to embrace a 60 hour - no overtime work week,
but that ended back in the 20's or 30's with industrialization.
the 40 hour work week has only been a standard since the 40's.

Again - It's their countries not ours, if their structure pays them to
work a 36 hour week and taxes them accordingly, and provides
retirement, medical, and child care - that's their deal.
If 58 % work for their socialistic government - so what ?
It's their government and their country ? What do you want to do BOMB THEM ?

The U.S. better learn real soon that it can not consume 80 % of the world resources,
and tell 95 % of the world's population how to cater to our elitist 5 %, or we'll find out
that is U.S. has become a lonely Fortress America.

You mention 10% unemployment in Germany - our ADVERTISED nimber is 6%, but in reality
it is as high as 20% in some states with populations the size of Germany.
We have cities where due to plant closures the unemployment came neary to 1/2 the population
Try equating some of our states with their countries - closer population count of the statistical numbers.

We now know how Utah and New York think about how Germany and France should behave,
how about the people who actually live in these countries, they get a say in how they
get to live don't they ? Or dosen't their opinion count in the eyes of the Average U.S. Citizen.
How about those Swedes, or Belgians, or the Dutch, and there's Litchenstien - huge place.

Continental Europe is a mess. They need to reform their rigid, socialist-laden, work culture/policies. If anything, the continental europeans should follow the british model. Then, once they've adjusted to it, embrace the American model.