French labour reform: 5,000 amendments being discussed

An easing of the rules on working hours and dismissal compensation — seen as a rollback of worker protection rights — is now being debated by France’s national assembly. The measures are sticking points amongst the roughly 5,000 amendments to the country’s labour law. The controversial bill reached the parliament on Tuesday 3 May and the debate could take more than a week.

The government maintains that the bill will cut red tape, encourage employers to hire workers and thus help tackle France’s chronic unemployment. Employers complain that the current rules discourage recruitment. Detractors claim that the proposed bill is too pro-business, providing an opt-out on basic labour rights obligations.

Christophe Sirugue, the Socialist rapporteur for the bill, said the government lacked the majority needed in parliament to pass the proposal, which has already been watered down. Street protests against the bill have lasted for more than a month now, with some reports of violence and dozens of people arrested.

France’s labour code is one of the most extensive and detailed amongst the countries of the Eurozone; some experts claim that it would be easier to rewrite it from scratch than to amend it.