STRANGE rituals have been taking place behind closed doors in Paris this summer. While much of Europe basked on the beach, elaborate rites and unfamiliar incantations could be overheard in the French capital. Paranormal activity was detected at unusual hours. In 300 hours of talks, which led to the unveiling last week of 36 reforms to the country’s notoriously complicated labour rules, it looked as if President Emmanuel Macron’s government and union leaders were simply negotiating a technical overhaul of France’s rigid employment law. In fact, they were exorcising some of the country’s most troublesome demons.
For decades, the spirit of Karl Marx and his inheritors has hovered over thinking about French labour reform. In 2000, when the Socialist government of Lionel Jospin introduced the 35-hour working week, the underlying idea was to share out existing work and create more jobs. Martine Aubry, the labour minister at the time, described the shorter week as a “project of...Continue reading
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