Brutal Sarkozy Seeks to Crush French Workers

Oh, the humanity. Just imagine the hardship of having to labor more than 35 hours a week.

Sarkozy plans new blow to French 35-hour work week

President Nicolas Sarkozy is trying to revamp France's 35-hour working week without picking a fight with trade unions by making it easier and more attractive for employees to work longer.
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Introduced in 1998 when the opposition Socialists were in power, the 35-hour work week has been blamed by the ruling centre-right UMP and business for inflation, competitiveess problems, sluggish growth, and a host of other ills.

Past UMP governments have already done their bit to undermine the law by allowing some exemptions, and Sarkozy introduced tax breaks for firms and employees for overtime work -- even before Thursday's announcements.

"Everything that goes towards making the 35-hour week more flexible is a good thing," said Yves-Thibault de Silguy, chairman of construction group Vinci, told reporters.

"The idea which seemed important to me was to say that we will raise purchasing power by encouraging work. That seems a good idea as measures taken ... to make the labor market more flexible help us to hire. It is positive."

Maybe those who protest can move to Venezuela if Hugo gets his way.