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| Europe |
| France Dismantles Its 35-Hour Workweek |
| 2005-03-22 |
| Via Rand Simberg. EFL. PARIS - Sophie Guilbaud not only holds a full-time job [HAH], she also helps run her son's nursery and treats herself to regular weekdays of shopping, movies and art shows. with what money? The secret to her balancing act is a remarkable piece of social engineering — France's 35-hour workweek. Introduced under the Socialists but headed for effective abolition by lawmakers Tuesday, "les 35 heures" have been a boon for some but, critics argue, a big drain on the economy. Ya' think? Heated debate over dismantling the working time law has fed into wider political and literary soul-searching in France, on themes ranging from the country's economic frailty and bureaucratic office culture to whether quality of life should be measured in time or money. Depends on what you do with the time - and if you have any money to do it. For Guilbaud, a Parisian who works as a loan company manager, that last question is a no-brainer. "Work is not the only thing in my life," she said, suggesting she might quit rather than work more hours. And do what? Suck at the But with unemployment at 10 percent, U.S. Leftys, please note - this is what you want for US. politicians of all stripes acknowledge that the country's unique 35-hour law has failed in its original ambition: to force employers to hire massively. What's more, there are strong signs that it hurt living standards as employers froze salaries to make up for lost labor. "Strong signs." Is that anything like a hard slap in the face with a river eel? "The intention was to spread work around, but the effect was to spread our salaries around," Thierry Breton, France's new finance minister, said last week. Duh! Cause, meet effect. *snip* Amid soaring unemployment and stagnating wages, the reform is supported by jobseekers and even by factory workers, according to a survey that pollsters CSA published last month — and by 46 percent of the overall population, with 43 percent opposed. Gee, sounds like our last election. There are other signs that the vision expounded by former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's Socialists now rings hollow in some surprisingly left-wing constituencies. Often touted as the working mother's godsend, the 35-hour week actually made life harder for poorer women and single parents, according to women's organization CLEF. "The women that suffered were the lowest paid, who needed all the overtime they could get to make ends meet," The light dawns.... said CLEF president Monique Halpern. "I think this is one of the reasons that Lionel Jospin lost the elections." Any reason for a socialist to lose an election is good enough for me. *snip* Clara Gaymard, the globe-trotting head of the French International Investment Agency, contends the 35-hour week has damaged investment in France, mainly because of its negative image in countries like the United States — France's biggest source of investment. Bwhahahahahahahahahah! "The perception was that the French didn't want to work any more," she said, whereas French workers remain among the most productive in the world, ahead of Britain, Germany, the United States and Japan, according to the European statistics agency Eurostat. No, Clara, that's the reality. And what do you mean, "any more"? In today's uncertain economic environment, though, the shorter workweek is "destroying jobs because companies wonder whether it's worth taking people on for just 35 hours a week," Touati said. No, they don't wonder - they know. (It isn't - particularly when you can't let them go in a economic downturn.) *snip* According to a 2003 OECD survey of 25 industrialized countries, only Norwegian and Dutch employees worked less time each year than the French, who worked an average 1,431 hours. German workers put in 1,446 hours, British 1,673 hours, Americans 1,792 hours and Koreans 2,390 hours. [Emphasis added.] Watch and learn, Phrogistan - that's how you go from a war-torn third world backwater to a first world, economically viable country in less than 50 years. It ain't done by sitting in a cafe half the day smoking Gaulloises and talking about how superior you are. *snip* On March 10, almost a million people took part in strikes and protests over the working time reform — as well as other threats to workers' benefits and public sector pay. But Nicolas Sarkozy, who pushed hard for the law to be loosened while serving as finance minister last year and is expected to one day run for president, has no regrets. "It's wonderful to see so many people marching to defend the jobs they already have, pushing aside so many others who would also like the chance to have a job," he said. Ouch! Meow. :-D So what are they going to raise it to - 37? 39? 40? They still won't come close to my working hours. Or the hours of most of the people I know. I know the socialists don't like to hear it, but I'll say it again: Money doesn't grow on trees. You have to WORK for it. (And you trust fund babies? Somebody WORKED for that money, too. Just not YOU.) |
| Posted by:Barbara Skolaut |
| #12 Only 52 weeks in a year, Bob. 2390/52 = 45.96 hrs/week It's Rob, please. And, yeah, I know there are only 52 weeks in a year; check the math I had on the "missing two weeks" of work. The point was that the South Koreans put in 60 weeks of work in a year. As you pointed out, with no time off, that would be 46 hours a week. Like I said, they need to take a vacation. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-03-22 9:40:49 PM |
| #11 ROFLMAO Dar! Way funny. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 5:50:49 PM |
| #10 LOL, TGA. Is that anything like the old Soviet system, where the people pretended to work and the government pretended to pay them? ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-03-22 4:31:15 PM |
| #9 I know people who pretend to work 12 hours a day and never get anything done... |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-03-22 4:06:53 PM |
| #8 Shipman--Get off her--that's sick. I wonder if they're including part-time jobs in those calculations? Those would sure bring down the average. As far as those South Koreans, though--Wow! |
| Posted by: Dar 2005-03-22 4:01:59 PM |
| #7 You got it Frank. Ima on a Connie Francis even as we speak. :) |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 3:55:53 PM |
| #6 Big deal. They're raising it to 39. What's that, four more hours to strike during the week? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-03-22 3:16:20 PM |
| #5 Only 52 weeks in a year, Bob. 2390/52 = 45.96 hrs/week |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-03-22 2:51:33 PM |
| #4 where did the other three weeks go? Lost in the dryer with that single sock every load..... survey says: summer vacation for teachers? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-22 2:45:17 PM |
| #3 1,431 hours. German workers put in 1,446 hours, British 1,673 hours, Americans 1,792 hours and Koreans 2,390 hours. 1431 hours @ 35 hours a week == 41 weeks 1431 hours @ 40 hours a week == 35 weeks (for comparison) 1446 @ 40 hours == 36 weeks(!) 1673 @ 40 hours == 42 weeks 1792 @ 40 == 45 weeks 2390 @ 40 == 60 weeks(!) OK, my first reactions is HOLY CRAP THE SOUTH KOREANS NEED TO TAKE A VACATION! My second reaction is, "OK, who's pulling down the average in the US?" Most everyone I know gets at most 3 weeks of vacation. Toss in the national holidays, that brings it to 4 weeks a year off; where did the other three weeks go? As for the French and Germans -- Christ, no wonder their economies suck. Your "workers" put in about a third less time than American workers -- at a time when some people whine that Americans don't want to work. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-03-22 2:41:31 PM |
| #2 River eel? LOL! We always use wet squirrel. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 2:32:30 PM |
| #1 Sorry, Fred - didn't see Dar's. You can delete mine if his was first. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-03-22 2:18:14 PM |