Latest news with #far right
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Work More to Earn Less: France's New Revolution
There's been only one topic of conversation in the brasseries of France this week: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's proposal to scrap two of three public holidays in the month of May to contain the spiraling budget deficit. In the land of the 35-hour work week, this is tantamount to treason. Most of the public seems to hate it, unions have called it a declaration of war and the far right has called it a provocation. The outrage is a little overdone. Knocking off two public holidays would leave the French with nine, which looks positively Germanic — until you add their 25 paid vacation days, which gets France in almost the same ballpark as Spain. (And no need to mention the extra days that many private-sector workers get for working more than 35 hours.) And while there's been plenty of gnashing of teeth at Bayrou's description of the month of May as 'gruyere' cheese — full of holes — it's kind of true. France is a place where the calendar is a Sudoku puzzle to find the ideal combo of holidays and vacation; this year, it's been possible to strategically place five days' vacation and get 32 days off.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
YAHOO POLL: Does cutting public holidays help boost the economy?
French prime minister, Francois Bayrou has made headlines for his plans to cancel two public holidays as part of radical measures to reduce France's ballooning deficit, boost its economy and manage debt. Bayrou has suggested scrapping Easter Monday and 8 May (a day commemorating the end of World War II in Europe) which would leave France with nine national holidays. The French PM believes two extra days of working would add "several billions of euros" to the country but the proposition has been met with fierce criticism from the political left and far right – and calls for Bayrou to face another no-confidence vote. Other polls YAHOO POLL: Do you neglect your health for your career? YAHOO POLL: Is it fair to ban cyclists from pedestrian-only paths? YAHOO POLL: Are you excited to watch James Gunn's 'Superman' film? But it has also gained some support. An opinion piece in The Telegraph urged Britain's chief financial minister Rachel Reeves to reconsider national holidays in the UK. "Our debt level is dangerously close to 100% of GDP (in France it's 110%) and we too have a serious productivity problem and every reason to worry about the sustainability of our public finances," wrote Jill Kirby in the piece. Bayrou's idea is that working two extra days will generate more revenue for the government but economic studies suggest it won't be as simple as that. In fact, there are also studies which conclude that leisure – or an increase in public holidays – can act as an economic boost, up to a certain point. So, we want to know: Does cutting public holidays help boost the economy? Related French PM may scrap two public holidays to reduce country's crippling debt French PM proposes cutting national holidays to cut debt France in revolt over PM's proposition to abolish two public holidays as part of budget cuts France is getting something right: let's scrap a few Bank Holidays Analysis-France's plan to cull public holidays may not help the economy
