France Unveils Contentious Labor Overhaul in Big Test for Macron
“But we also know that if we want to move forward on the question of employment,
we have to deal with all aspects, all causes of unemployment together.”
Mr. Philippe said that for employers, especially small companies,
and for foreign investors, the labor code “is often perceived as an obstacle to hiring, as an obstacle to investment,” and he called the overhaul “ambitious, balanced, and fair.”
Pierre Gattaz, the head of Medef, the main employers’ organization, said at a news conference after the announcement
that the overhaul was an “important first step in the construction of labor legislation that is in sync with the daily reality of our companies.” But, he added, he remained “vigilant” about how the changes would be applied.
G.T., one of the more hard-line unions, said after the meeting
that “all the fears that we had are confirmed,” while Jean-Claude Mailly, the head of the Force Ouvrière union, said that “all is not perfect, far from it.”
Mr. Macron vowed after his election in May to move swiftly on changes to the labor code,
and he decided to proceed by issuing a list of decrees, which Parliament authorized the government to do this month.
Mr. Philippe said that the five decrees presented on Thursday would be officially adopted during a cabinet meeting on Sept. 22 after consultations with a number of advisory bodies, and
that any changes until then would only be “at the margins.”
The decrees will immediately go into effect after the president signs them and after they are officially published,
but they will only become law if Parliament ratifies them in the coming months.
