-
France set to pass emergency ‘budget law’: is it good or bad for your finances?
The country will effectively be without a budget from 2025, with knock-on effects for individuals and companies
-
EasyJet announces nine new flight routes from France including to UK
A service from Bordeaux to Birmingham is among the new announcements
-
French weekend weather outlook December 14 - 15: gloomy and chilly in the north
Cloudy skies are expected to dominate in the north, but in the south temperatures will still reach double figures
French director asks for staff vote on summer holidays
The director of an Intermarché hypermarket in Occitanie has said he does not want his employees to take holiday in July and August, and has asked them to vote in a referendum on the issue.
In a letter to his staff on July 31, Jean-Pierre Le Berrigo, director of the hypermarket in Villemagne-l’Argentière (Hérault), said: “It was a mistake for me to allow paid holidays in July and August. You are all very strong professionals in your respective fields, [but] for our two busiest months, you nearly all take holidays.
“At the exact moment when we need you most, you absent yourselves and leave our business to seasonal workers who have no knowledge of our work, and, often do not have the same desire as you to do it well.”
The letter finished by asking employees to have their say on the idea by selecting “yes” or “no” and adding their “motivation” for their response.
Le référendum en entreprise... 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Vji4RT6Iow
— DoMi (@_Dom_I) August 24, 2018
The referendum is technically legal, although Mr Le Berrigo’s decision to not make the voting anonymous may not be.
He said: “This vote is not anonymous as I believe that we should all take responsibility for our decisions.”
The letter added that “empty votes will be counted as a ‘yes’ [in favour of no holidays], to avoid a too-low participation rate”.
The votes are expected to be counted by the end of September, but Mr Le Berrigo fears that his idea may have been quashed.
He said: “I have received ‘not a bad amount’ of replies…[and] I have lost, I think.”
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France