35-hour week nearer to change

The cabinet has adopted a draft law that would allow firms to opt out of the 35-hour working week.

The law would also change the way unions are represented in firms.
It will allow companies to negotiate individually with their workers how much overtime they can do.

The 35-hour week, which is popular with French workers, was introduced a decade ago.

Nicolas Sarkozy believes it is holding the country back from real growth and hamstrings dynamism in French industry.

The law, however, stops short of scrapping it, in favour of firms being able to negotiate individually how much overtime workers can take.

Cabinet approval came a day after unions called for a day of action to protest against the change.

There have been wide-ranging strikes called by the main workers’ unions to protect both the 35-hour week and also government pensions.

Government spokesman Luc Chatel said: “This draft law would significantly simplify rules on working hours and give more room for overtime and for collective negotiations on arranging working hours on a company by company basis.”

Many French workers work longer hours than the standard 35 - but this adds up to time off en lieu which they take later, creating a headache for employers.

The French take more annual leave than workers in any other European country, with 37 days paid holiday a year.

The draft law must now go to parliament for approval before it can pass into law.