French Protest New Labor Law

[BigTex]

It seems that the unions and students are doing all they can to make the government remove a new employment law that 'allows employers to dismiss people under 26 at any time during a 2-year trial period'. Now, I don't know how much paperwork and hassle an employer had to go through before, but this doesn't sound too bad. If you're a good worker, the boss won't fire you.

Nonetheless, spoiled students are taking to the streets to protest the fact that they could be fired, and are demanding the law be repealed before talking about it. Does anyone think these students are pursuing justice, or just their own selfish ends? After all, this will certainly help France's dismal unemployment rate among the young.

Link

A telling quote:


Heaven forbid you'd need to work hard to make sure you didn't lose you job ad didn't have the gov't telling your boss they couldn't fire you!

Crazed Rabbit

Bout time someone does something to burst those spoiled kids bubbles. Only guessing here but since some kind of law was required to allow people to be fired before 2 years, that they were somehow protected from being fired from being hired on. Seriously they all need to come down to Texas were we have the right to work act, you can be fired for whatever reason, whenever. Good law, helps employers get rid of the idiots and spoiled drunken college students.

Last I heard in some parts the protests were getting close to being riots, guess burning some car's will truly get their point across as to why they need job security, lawsuit money.... Seriously though French students protesting their shields to reality, nothing new here. Welcome to the world, its a hard place.

[JimBob]

These are not spoiled students demanding socialistic protection. They are demanding basic protections.

In 2004 business could dismiss employees for needed reasons. For economic reasons (layoffs) the company must try to find a way to save the jobs (job sharing, redeploying employees, etc). If they prove that they have tried to save jobs but economic realities prevent that then they are allowed to lay workers off.
For personal misconduct workers were guaranteed a chance to explain themselves, as well a period before they would be forced to leave. Companies often gave dismissed employees a warning before dismissing them.
French Labor Laws at Invest in France

The law is being protested because
"It gives the employer the right to terminate the new hire's employment within two years without having to give any reason."

which allows employers to end job contracts for under-26s at any time during a two-year trial period without having to offer an explanation or give prior warning.

The law gives employers the ability to fire a worker for no reason, and with no warning.

[BigTex]

Ok it appears I need to revise my previous statement. About an hour ago the protest became violent. Bravo french students you don't get your way so you throw a fit, very mature. Their way way to spoiled, thinking a job is forever and secure from when your hired.

Originally posted by JimBob
The law gives employers the ability to fire a worker for no reason, and with no warning.

If they act like this in work they don't deserve warning, they dont deserve a reason. Seriously burning car's to get your point across, only in france. More riots in Paris, I hope those students think it was worth it. Wonder if those politicians will blame rap this time.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Ok it appears I need to revise my previous statement. About an hour ago the protest became violent. Bravo french students you don't get your way so you throw a fit, very mature.

The riots are not the work of students. The 'casseurs', the rioters are a peculiar assortment of extreme right-wingers, extreme left-wingers, the usual international anarchists/ anti-globalist crowd, and hooligans.

[rory_20_uk]

They really need to get out of the ossified Gallie mentality.

that businesses need to go through so much paperwork before sacking one person in the old system may have meant it's easier to leave people where they are than the hastle to make sure that everything has been done to protect the jobs. So, employment before efficiency then.

Companies have no desire to sack productive people if they need them. Training someone else isn't easy, and if one person already knows what they are doing it makes sense to keep them doing it.

So the students want jobs for life and of course 100% employment. Many would call this unreasonable, but the French have managed to persuade others to pay for their inefficient farmers, so why not the rest of their economy?

[Louis VI the Fat]

Well it's been four months already since we last had a good riot! It's been a long winter, too cold to take to the streets and protest something.

Villepin can shove his CPE (new employment law) up his you-know-where. If he wants less youth unemployment, let him make a law that relaxes employment rights for over-26s. They are the problem. Holding on to jobs for thirthy years without actually doing anything for the last 25 years. Oh, the number of times some lazy old guy, who has lost all interest in his job since 1979, made me wait for three weeks for a bloody stamp, when any ambitious 22 year old could have done it in five minutes.

[Marcellus]

Villepin can shove his CPE (new employment law) up his you-know-where. If he wants less youth unemployment, let him make a law that relaxes employment rights for over-26s. They are the problem. Holding on to jobs for thirthy years without actually doing anything for the last 25 years. Oh, the number of times some lazy old guy, who has lost all interest in his job since 1979, made me wait for three weeks for a bloody stamp, when any ambitious 22 year old could have done it in five minutes.

That's exactly my position. I don't see why someone over 26 should be difficult to fire if they do their job badly but someone under 26 should be able to be fired easily.

[JAG]

It is not wrong for people to want to have some form of security in their jobs. Americans might think it is fine for people to work on wages which are so disgustingly low people need to work 18 hours a day to make ends meat and have people fired not because they are rubbish in their jobs, but simply because big business wants even bigger profits, but I thought in Europe we did things differently. As a result of doing things differently we have a much fairer society and France should be proud of the way they do things. Being 'competitive' internationally is not the only measure of a country, you do not have to be a world leader economically to offer a good life for your citizens, just look at the scandinavian countries. A measure of a country is how you treat those most vulnerable in your society and how fair society is to all, not how much money the top earners are making.

People - especially those starting in their careers: 20 - 26 year olds - should have job security if they have done nothing wrong. When a business takes someone on they have to honour the contract they give to the person they employ, if they are not sure they can manage to have an extra worker there is a simple answer, don't employ one! People talk about giving flexibility and being fair on business but what about worker flexibility and fairness, government and society should not pander to business but should look after workers, without workers after all, business can't make their disgustingly huge profits.

If the law goes through French society looses, if you want an American system you will inevitably have to go the whole way, one law makes little difference. The reliance on simply economic outlooks on society leads to an unfair and disproportional society, which is to the detriment of everyone.

[Upxl]

With good talking socialism I totally forgot to give my opinion.

Although this law could (I’m saying could) make production rise with probably a very small percentage.
I fail to understand how this solves the youth work problem.
Besides this will lead to enormous abuse.
Firing for no reason at all does happen and more then you think.
Just annoyed by the young boy’s face could be a reason for that person to loose his job.
I’m completely against this law and like JAG said I feel it isn’t a very proud day to be a European.