France: Hollande attacks worker rights for ‘flexibility’

The French parliament was set to vote on Wednesday of this week on an attack on workers’ rights effectively drafted by the bosses.

The Labour-type Socialist Party government has brought in the “New Employment Contract” law.

This is an attempt to help businesses survive the crisis by creating more “flexibility”.

It will make it easier for bosses to lay workers off, cut their pay and increase their hours.

It is based on a pact agreed between the bosses’ Medef organisation and three major unions.

Four other unions, led by the CGT union federation, called a day of protests and strikes on Tuesday of this week.

These unions represent more workers than those that have signed the bosses’ pact.

But the support of some union leaders has allowed the government to fend off opposition to a major attack.

It comes alongside a wave of massive job losses and closures in the private sector.

This issue dogged the last year of Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency.

And now president Francois Hollande has proved himself just as reluctant to help workers.

But last month saw strikes at Virgin Megastores and Peugeot and Renault car factories in France.

This is the kind of action that’s needed to beat back the bosses’ attacks.