Macron gets down to work with labour bill

Paris, June 28: French President Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet on Wednesday approved his ambitious plans to relax the country’s rigid labour laws, the main plank of his bid to bring down stubbornly high unemployment.

Mr Macron, a liberal who won the presidency on a promise to get France back to work, wants to move quickly to inject flexibility into the labour market while still enjoying a honeymoon with voters.

On Wednesday, labour minister Muriel Penicaud unveiled a bill allowing the government to change the labour code using executive orders, to avoid the reforms becoming bogged down in parliament.

France’s labour laws “must help companies to conquer new markets and create new jobs as a result,” she told reporters, setting out the measures.

Parliament will get to vote on the use of the executive orders after the government concludes several rounds of talks with trade unions and employers’ groups.

The bill is currently expected to pass, given Mr Macron’s commanding parliamentary majority.

The centrist leader launched the labour negotiations within days of taking office to try to head off the protests that dogged the previous Socialist government in which he served.

Then President Francois Hollande’s attempt to reform the labour market sparked months of sometimes violent demonstrations and sporadic strikes in 2016.

Government is moving the rules of the game in hopes of tackling unemployment, hovering near 10% — Muriel Penicaud, Labour minister