France Unveils Plan to Fix Labor Markets
- Long-awaited measures follow reforms done elsewhere in Europe
- Two major unions say they won’t join street demonstrations
French Unions Split on Macron's Labor Reforms
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The French government presented a plan to loosen the labor code Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron’s high-stakes bet to tackle a stubbornly high unemployment rate and lay the foundations for a broader reform of his country and the European Union.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud set out 36 measures in five separate decrees to give French companies more power to negotiate hours and pay, slash the number of workers’ committees, and limit penalties for wrongful dismissal. While the more radical CGT union is preparing to protest on Sept. 12, the country’s two other main collectives were largely won round by Philippe’s diplomatic outreach.