France on fire again.

[Controlled Chaos]

France surrenders.

 

France scraps youth job law

By Matthew Bigg

11 minutes ago

 

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac scrapped a youth job law on Monday after weeks of angry unrest, in a climbdown that undermined his prime minister and handed protesters victory.

 

 

Chirac's decision was a personal blow to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who had championed the First Job Contract (CPE) as a vital job-creating reform of the French economy but had seen his popularity slump as mass opposition grew.

 

The government U-turn over the CPE makes it unlikely France will attempt broader reform of its highly-regulated labor market before 2007, some economists said.

 

Villepin said in a television address he regretted that the strikes and street protests showed the CPE could not be applied but gave no hints about his own political future, on the line over his handling of the dispute.

 

"The necessary conditions of confidence and calm are not there, either among young people, or companies, to allow the application of the First Job Contract," Villepin said, adding he would open talks with unions on youth employment.

 

A protest march in Paris planned for Tuesday should show whether student anger over the contract has abated.

 

In one sign student protests could be dwindling, the education ministry said only five universities were closed or disrupted by strikes and 30 others functioned normally.

 

Villepin had said the CPE would reduce youth unemployment of 22 percent. Lack of jobs is the country's number one political issue and a major reason for weeks of rioting in poor suburbs late last year.

 

The "easy hire, easy fire" CPE would have allowed firms to sack workers under 26 without giving a reason during a two-year trial period.

 

The prime minister's poll ratings plunged as opposition to the measure mounted, damaging his chances of becoming the ruling UMP party's candidate for president in elections in 2007.

 

"The president ... has decided to replace article 8 of the equal opportunities law with measures to help disadvantaged young people find work," the presidency said in a statement.

 

A DROP OF CHAMPAGNE

 

Chirac and Villepin were careful to say that the CPE, part of a wider law on equal opportunities, was being "replaced" rather than repealed. Unions who had opposed the measure, arguing it would create insecurity for young workers, declared victory.

 

"Perhaps we will drink a drop of champagne. This is an undeniable victory for a social movement," said Gerard Aschieri, secretary of the FSU union.

 

"The CPE is dead and buried. That means the goal of securing the withdrawal of the CPE has been achieved," said Jean-Claude Mailly, secretary general of Force Ouvriere union.

 

"The question is whether this has signed away the possibility of reform in the longer term," said David Naude, economist at Deutsche Bank.

 

The new measures include increased financial incentives to employers to hire people under 26 who face the most difficulties in getting access to the labor market, Employment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper.

 

That would apply to approximately 159,000 young people currently hired under government-subsidized job contracts and the cost to the government would be around 150 million euros ($180 million) in the second half of 2006, Borloo said.

 

The new measures, financed by an increase in tax on tobacco, could be introduced in parliament as early as Tuesday, said a senior UMP deputy.

 

Marchers vilified the prime minister and his rival for the UMP presidential candidacy, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, but analysts said Monday's decision was especially damaging for Villepin. Chirac is not expected to run in the 2007 election.

 

"The presidential hopeful Villepin is practically dead, the prime minister Villepin is in big difficulty," said Christophe Barbier of the L'Express magazine. "Villepin the man, as we have seen, seems quite hurt, worn out."

 

The opposition Socialist Party has yet to name its candidate for the 2007 elections and has failed to translate popular anger at the right-wing UMP into solid gains in opinion polls.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

France surrenders.

 

France scraps youth job law

By Matthew Bigg

11 minutes ago

 

PARIS (Reuters) - French    President Jacques Chirac scrapped a youth job law on Monday after weeks of angry unrest, in a climbdown that undermined his prime minister and handed protesters victory.

 

 

Chirac's decision was a personal blow to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who had championed the First Job Contract (CPE) as a vital job-creating reform of the French economy but had seen his popularity slump as mass opposition grew.

 

The government U-turn over the CPE makes it unlikely France will attempt broader reform of its highly-regulated labor market before 2007, some economists said.

 

Villepin said in a television address he regretted that the strikes and street protests showed the CPE could not be applied but gave no hints about his own political future, on the line over his handling of the dispute.

 

"The necessary conditions of confidence and calm are not there, either among young people, or companies, to allow the application of the First Job Contract," Villepin said, adding he would open talks with unions on youth employment.

 

A protest march in Paris planned for Tuesday should show whether student anger over the contract has abated.

 

In one sign student protests could be dwindling, the education ministry said only five universities were closed or disrupted by strikes and 30 others functioned normally.

 

Villepin had said the CPE would reduce youth unemployment of 22 percent. Lack of jobs is the country's number one political issue and a major reason for weeks of rioting in poor suburbs late last year.

 

The "easy hire, easy fire" CPE would have allowed firms to sack workers under 26 without giving a reason during a two-year trial period.

 

The prime minister's poll ratings plunged as opposition to the measure mounted, damaging his chances of becoming the ruling UMP party's candidate for president in elections in 2007.

 

"The president ... has decided to replace article 8 of the equal opportunities law with measures to help disadvantaged young people find work," the presidency said in a statement.

 

A DROP OF CHAMPAGNE

 

Chirac and Villepin were careful to say that the CPE, part of a wider law on equal opportunities, was being "replaced" rather than repealed. Unions who had opposed the measure, arguing it would create insecurity for young workers, declared victory.

 

"Perhaps we will drink a drop of champagne. This is an undeniable victory for a social movement," said Gerard Aschieri, secretary of the FSU union.

 

"The CPE is dead and buried. That means the goal of securing the withdrawal of the CPE has been achieved," said Jean-Claude Mailly, secretary general of Force Ouvriere union.

 

"The question is whether this has signed away the possibility of reform in the longer term," said David Naude, economist at Deutsche Bank.

 

The new measures include increased financial incentives to employers to hire people under 26 who face the most difficulties in getting access to the labor market, Employment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper.

 

That would apply to approximately 159,000 young people currently hired under government-subsidized job contracts and the cost to the government would be around 150 million euros ($180 million) in the second half of 2006, Borloo said.

 

The new measures, financed by an increase in tax on tobacco, could be introduced in parliament as early as Tuesday, said a senior UMP deputy.

 

Marchers vilified the prime minister and his rival for the UMP presidential candidacy, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, but analysts said Monday's decision was especially damaging for Villepin. Chirac is not expected to run in the 2007 election.

 

"The presidential hopeful Villepin is practically dead, the prime minister Villepin is in big difficulty," said Christophe Barbier of the L'Express magazine. "Villepin the man, as we have seen, seems quite hurt, worn out."

 

The opposition Socialist Party has yet to name its candidate for the 2007 elections and has failed to translate popular anger at the right-wing UMP into solid gains in opinion polls.

 

 

Once again, French policy is decided in the street rather than in the halls of government. What a bunch of gutless, spineless cowards they have "running" things over there.

[WCSox]

Hey, I'll work 6 years for endless job security. . .

 

Are you including grad school?

 

I think it's partially the school and how much you publish and how widely your stuff is cited and used in the field.

 

At a university that ranks in the Top 50 or so in your program, you're looking at 80-90 hours/week for five or six straight years. And that's after 5-6 years of grad school and 2-3 years of postdoctoral work.

 

For a university that's less research-intensive and/or doesn't have a Ph.D. program, you're looking at about 60 hours/week after the 7-9 years of grad school/postdoc.

Edited April 11, 2006 by WCSox

[Cerbaho-WG]

I have never set foot on French soil and I really have no desire to go there either.  I dont see how that precludes me from commenting on their failing economic system and the French people's selfish resistance to change. 

 

Id rather sit back and watch the spoiled brats and islamic immigrants tear the place apart.  Maybe then a politician who recognizes the problem and has the guts to effect change will take over and they will take genuine steps forward.

 

Because you're not an economist, have no clue of any aspect of labor law, have no clue about right-to-work laws, and are genuinely ignorant of anything French unless you can pin a simpleton stereotype on it.

 

I'm in no way saying that I am qualified in any of the aforemention areas, but to tout American capitalism and labor law is quite funny considering how atrocious our labor laws are.

 

Countdown to someone posting a perfectly competitive labor market with a price floor. I'd love to tear that stupid argument apart again.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Because you're not an economist, have no clue of any aspect of labor law, have no clue about right-to-work laws, and are genuinely ignorant of anything French unless you can pin a simpleton stereotype on it.

 

I'm in no way saying that I am qualified in any of the aforemention areas, but to tout American capitalism and labor law is quite funny considering how atrocious our labor laws are.

 

Countdown to someone posting a perfectly competitive labor market with a price floor. I'd love to tear that stupid argument apart again.

 

 

Nobody claimed that out labor laws are perfect but they are far and away better than those the French have in place.

 

When you have a system where people cannot be terminated even when business goes south or the employee turns out to be a dirtbag it creates a massive drag on hiring. This is because businesses are reluctant to hire anybody when they are stuck with the employee until he/she decides to go elsewhere. It does not take an economist to reason this out, as you suggested, but someone with the most basic understanding of economics. The result of French labor laws are plain for all to see considering they are falling behind the rest of the European economies. Thats saying a lot since nearly all of them are stagnant and straining under the weight of their own socialist systems.

 

When you see thousands of people who take to the streets to violently protest policies which would take away some of their outrageously generous worker benefits for the benefit of the whole nation thats being spoiled and selfish. Much like a child who won't share with a sibling.

 

When you see a government give in to the demands of the street thats weakness.

 

Those are not "simpelton stereotypes" as you put it but facts. But if you insist on experts on economics I invite you to watch CNBC ( I know you might hurt your eyes with all that capitalism flashing across your screen but it's worthwhile ) and listen to what the most respected minds in the business world have to say about it.

 

You may now go back to your regularly scheduled Karl Marx worship.

Edited April 13, 2006 by NUKE_CLEVELAND

[Rex Kickass]

Nuke: you are wrong about French Labor Laws. Dismissal, although not the easiest thing in the world to do - is very doable.

 

Personal dismissal procedures can be

initiated for misconduct on the part of

the employee or conduct that is not

actually delinquent, but nevertheless

harms the company's interests. A

warning is often issued before initiating

the dismissal procedure. The employee

must be given an opportunity to

provide explanations at a preliminary

interview, before the dismissal

becomes effective. The employer must

also comply with the notice period that

the employee is entitled to under the

law or the relevant collective

bargaining agreement. In principle, the

notice period is two months for

employees with more than two years of

service. Employees are not entitled to

severance pay in cases of serious

misconduct.

 

Source: The Invest in France Agency

http://www.investinfrance.org/France/Doing...ployment_en.pdf

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Nuke: you are wrong about French Labor Laws. Dismissal, although not the easiest thing in the world to do - is very doable.

Source: The Invest in France Agency

http://www.investinfrance.org/France/Doing...ployment_en.pdf

 

 

Very Doable? Not according to this.

 

http://www.fee.org/in_brief/default.asp?id=378

 

The French doctrine, a source of great pride for the socialist parties, the labor unions, and the intellectual leaders of public opinion, broadly speaking, puts the burden on the employer to show that he is justified in dismissing a worker. There is a presumption that all dismissal is unfair unless it is proved to be fair. The employer must prevail, in the first instance, in a labor court where equal numbers of union and employer representatives sit on the bench, and where in 2004 out of over 200,000 cases judged, 65 percent were decided in favor of the worker(s). Judgment took an average of 13 months. One-fifth of cases were appealed, taking on average another 32 months to be decided.

 

So it takes an average of more than a year to decide whether an employee can be fired or not and can take up to almost 3 years?! Thats almost what it takes to execute someone here in the US. Like I said. You get a job in France and you can't be fired.

[Rex Kickass]

Yes, except that this isn't the same thing as what the labor law that was being protested said.

 

The protest was firing for no reason within the first two years of someone's employment. You don't get that court hearing with less than 24 months seniority in France either.

[Cerbaho-WG]

Those are not "simpelton stereotypes" as you put it but facts.  But if you insist on experts on economics I invite you to watch CNBC ( I know you might hurt your eyes with all that capitalism flashing across your screen but it's worthwhile ) and listen to what the most respected minds in the business world have to say about it.

 

You may now go back to your regularly scheduled Karl Marx worship.

 

As you tout FEE to back up your opinions. Try CATO, you'd love them economically considering they're all for free market operations and sucking off corporations at any turn.

 

I appreciate the invitation to watch the pro-business hacks over at CNBC to get your vast wealth of economical knowldege, but I'm doing this thing called getting a degree in Economics instead.

 

I love your ignorance with the little Karl Marx quip, too. Who knew that subscribing to Keynesian economic theory and focusing on labor laws made you a socialist?

[mr_genius]

I'm doing this thing called getting a degree in Economics

 

you're the best!

 

:sleep

Edited April 13, 2006 by mr_genius