French Gov't Passes New Labor Law Despite...
 

having 70% or so of its populace and unions - which represent a paltry % of the work force but which have strong popular backing it seems against it.

Q- Unions in the past year in fighting the proposed law have staged many highly publicized strikes - against the petro at the pump businesses to train and transport strikes and museum staffers and mass protests in cities.

Q- For French experts - if this new law is pushed thru an even unwilling Parliament will this portend for more such strikes that the tourist can aggravatingly get caught up in?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/wo...ment.html?_r=0

That article is a bit old (July 20th), the law was passed by Parliament the next day, July 21st.

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/arti...75_823448.html

yeah, the union said they were going to strike on Sept 15th (CGT, I believe)

English http://www.france24.com/en/20160721-...ial-labour-law

Whilst I do not know much about this I do know that France has a very high youth unemployment problem - some say due to the old law that requires novice workers to either be offered full-time employment with virtual life-time job security or cut lose.

Many 20s types acquaintances of my son have been terminated after the trial period and then went on unemployment at about 80% for the next year.

Seems a change is needed but Q is why are so so many French folks against the new law? Don't they realize what this may be doing to youth employment - especially in the ethnic areas where young folks have two strikes against them to begin with- a recent study showed that on job applications those with Muslim sounding names were much less likely to be called then those with French names.

And we know what alienation in say the dread burbs of northern Paris or Nice can result in - radicalization some say.

Too bad. Without job no money. Without money no foie gras.
That is the goal of the unions : impoverish people so that they stop eating foie gras.
This is travel forum PQ.
Nobody gives a damn about politics.
We could discuss it with a Verre at say the green linnet but I'll abstain on a forum.
Esp one you consider for US people. So who gives a rat about what the unemployment rate is france ?
Who gave a rat when my plant was closed ?

This is travel forum PQ.
Nobody gives a damn about politics.>

This is related to whether tourists should expect strikes or not to increase in say the public sector of trains and museums.

Plus travelers should inform themselves about hot button issues IMO and not be the typical naive clueless Americans.

You are Belgian right, not French?

Hi I'm French and live in France.
There is a possibility that there will be more actions in septembre by the only union that is still against this law.
You may be a little inconvenienced if you travel on days of strikes Inside the country (especially by train because the SNCF is very often on strike). But since the strike has gone on for so long, there is not a lot of people who stop working (all muséums, tourists spots, stores etc... are open). The media actually made it seem Worth than it was, yes there were less trains and less subways but since the beginning of the blockages there were only 2 days without any transportation. As for the gas stations, they were empty only because people got paranoid and filled there car tanks to the max even when they didn't need it. Noone I know got stuck.

A minority of the people of France is striking but they make noise.

If it can help, the days where they block the most are Tuesdays and Thursdays.

It dépends on where you are going. In Paris the subway might be a little hectic. If you are on the french rivier

a you shoudn't even see it.
(sorry i submited too soon).

Anyway, have a very nice trip !

Chichonne, meet PalenQ, who is always trying to stir up trouble and worry here. And try not to overdo the <i>chichon</i> when you post. ;-)

Chichonne, thanks for your in-depth response showing there may well be potential strikes affecting trains, etc and great take on it and advice on days to avoid perhaps.

<i>Seems a change is needed but Q is why are so so many French folks against the new law?</i>
Maybe because they know better than you about this law and about French politics?

<i> Don't they realize what this may be doing to youth employment </i>
Do you realize that many who go on strike have children, some of them with no job ?

<i>..especially in the ethnic areas where young folks have two strikes against them</i>
Yes, unionists are racists. I went on strike, I must be a racist.

<i>a recent study showed that on job applications those with Muslim sounding names were much less likely to be called then those with French names</i>
And the worker unions are responsible for that???

Chichonne: <i>There is a possibility that there will be more actions in septembre by the only union that is still against this law. </i>
Which union would still be against this law? The C.G.T? F.O? F.S.U? Solidaires?.. or all of them?

Maybe because they know better than you about this law and about French politics?>

Yeh they do and that is what I'd like to know as it escapes me - I have no dog in this fight. I admit I know little.

..especially in the ethnic areas where young folks have two strikes against them
Yes, unionists are racists. I went on strike, I must be a racist.>

Never said unions are racists - unions do have minorities in them yes?

thanks for your polite discussion of things. Why so self-defensive? I was not even talking about unions but why so many non-union French - French in general support no change. I believe the % of French workers in unions is one of the lowest in Europe?

Union members yes like to keep their job security and I'm all for that - but new hirees on a temporary basis have no security and get terminated often, my French son says because many of his 20s friends have been so terminated - this is a vicious circle it seems.

What are unions doing to help out with the high youth unemployment, especially in poorer ethnic areas - anything? Or just concerned with themselves as your attitude begs?

If I came across with a hostile attitude non was meant - I wanted to know the answers to my concerns and yes I know little.

Cheers!

Hey Askar01 !

The CGT is the only one that advises full blockages. The other ones, when they call for a strike just ask people to stop working and do a demonstration. On one of the biggest strike in june, there were 50 people blocking the entrance of the city I live in. 50 people blocking a city of 500 000 people. So yes, I think they are a minority.
The law was rewritten A LOT ! and is now acceptable for most people, but the CGT is a very powerful union not in the number of people in it but in the force of their actions.
Anyway, having this conversation in another language is a little too hard for me and I can't make a decent case! Everyone is free to be against this law and I get it for some of its paragraphs and especially seeing the way our government is handling it, I just think that stopping people from going to work and taking public transportation is taking them hostage.

In light of what happened recently here, peace and unity !

@Kerouac : I have noooo idea what you mean !! ;)

Chiconne, what kerouac means is that PalenQ hardly ever knows what he's talking about.

that's why I'm asking!

chichonne- thanks for informing me - others just throw insults and putting malice where none exists!

Cheers!

>>Chiconne, what kerouac means is that PalenQ hardly ever knows what he's talking about.<<

He also never met a nyt article he doesn't love.

Safe to move on now ;)

chichonne- again thanks for your take - helps me understand it a lot more clearly.

Again I could care less what the French do just curious.

Again thanks for your time.

kerouac: And try not to overdo the chichon when you post. ;)

chichonne: @Kerouac : I have noooo idea what you mean !! ;)


I think kerouac and Chichonne may be jokingly referring to the slang meaning of chichon - (hashish)

kerouac is an ex-Pat American so may not know some esoteric things about slang, etc. Born and raised in U.S. and went to USC before moving to France as an adult - it seems from previous posts.

He also never met a nyt article he doesn't love.>

so so cute! so cute! janis!

Cheers - keep em coming!