A 35-hour week is hard work in France

[Blackleaf]

From The Telegraph -

The French way of life has baffled free-market enthusiasts for years. How can they be so idle, so regulated, so high-tax, so statist and yet so successful? It was only when I tried to return home to Britain that everything went wrong. The train drivers had gone on strike in sympathy with the Métro workers and bus drivers. It was impossible to leave.

By Alice Thomson

(Filed: 10/06/2005)

The new French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, is right. The French way of life is magnificent. Tomatoes taste better in France, baguettes are fresh, municipal sandpits are raked every night, the school children walk in crocodiles chanting their times tables, everyone is making plans for Les Grandes Vacances.

Who would want to be Anglo-Saxon, scraping chewing gum off their shoes as they trudge to another 10-hour day at work, watching out for the hoodies trying to nick their mobile phones, terrified of falling ill in case they catch a superbug in hospital?

Last week I took my children to Paris to see Mr de Villepin's "Gallic genius" in action. The French love their new 35-hour working week. "You live to work, we work to live," one mother told me. "Here I work full time but I can still come home at 4pm every day to pick up the children, buy a tart from the boulangerie and have time to change into something sexy before my husband returns. He can take every Friday off to go cycling."

Weekday streets in Paris are deserted at 9am and the Gare du Nord is empty. Everyone is still at home drinking coffee and reading the newspapers. There's no point in being at work at 7am, if it means leaving at 2pm. One director of a multinational conglomerate admitted he caused meltdown in his office by sending an e-mail at 10pm to a client. The in-house lawyers were horrified by such blatant evidence of illegal overtime.

"It's hard work only working 35 hours a week," one friend on Le Figaro explained. "You either have to work mornings only, or take every Friday off or take one week off in four." Her advice was to take a three-month summer holiday.

Public services are wonderful. Everyone from Kristin Scott Thomas to the Moroccan cleaner sends their children to state schools. Their only complaint is that the children are pushed too hard.

Giving birth in France is easier than in Britain. Mothers are encouraged to stay in hospital for five days to recuperate. "In Britain you have to take your own disinfectant into hospital when you give birth and they give you one piece of toast before they throw you out," says Marie-Laure Vigreux, a publisher. "Here I had my own room and they even sent me to a health farm afterwards to tone up."

The French way of life has baffled free-market enthusiasts for years. How can they be so idle, so regulated, so high-tax, so statist and yet so successful? It was only when I tried to return home to Britain that everything went wrong. The train drivers had gone on strike in sympathy with the Métro workers and bus drivers. It was impossible to leave.

I finally flung myself in front of a taxi and begged the driver to take us to the airport, where only half the traffic controllers had walked out. The taxi driver was Vietnamese. At night he works in a bakery. He is frightened he will be penalised for having two jobs. In Britain they worry about illegal immigrants sponging off the welfare state; in France they vilify the Polish plumber for working too hard.

Mr de Villepin this week told the lower house of the national assembly that the "French genius for solidarity and initiative, protection and daring" would soon put France back on its feet again after the No vote on the referendum. But the French way of life is unravelling. They seem to have taken all the worst aspects of British life without discovering its benefits. They have suddenly become obsessed by rules and regulations. Once you could drive through France at 100mph. Now the speed police are waiting.

Yet Gallic stubbornness in refusing to allow people to work too hard has prevented anyone from bettering themselves, and the country from competing. As Tom Friedman of the New York Times pointed out, while France is trying to achieve the 35-hour working week, India is inventing the 35-hour day.

President Bush - who we now know is far brighter than was assumed - once asked why the French didn't have a word for entrepreneur. He had a point. The entrepreneurial spirit has died in France. Nicholas de la Mornière, the chairman of a luxury goods company, says: "The French are frightened of any competition now. The idea of wealth creation doesn't exist in this country."

Sabine Herold, a 24-year-old political science graduate, is appalled. She is leading a movement, Liberté Cherie, whose members are desperate to work harder and want a dose of Thatcherism. "The French are lazy and staid. We think only of holidays and how great we once were," she says. She has addressed rallies of 100,000 protesting against the strikes, and urging the unions to adopt more flexible working hours. In the press she is seen as a dangerous Right-winger but the young are queueing up to join her association.

They are sick of having their lives disrupted by striking older workers who just want more money, more pensions and less work. The businessmen have had enough too, but they haven't got the guts to stand up to the unions.

Sabine is not convinced the French will change. "In France we are taught in school about American imperialism, how all Anglo-Saxons are either fat or work in sweatshops."

The Anglo-Saxon way doesn't always look appealing. The American two weeks' annual holiday would destroy the French way of life. Britain has lost a million manufacturing jobs since Tony Blair came to power. The housing market is slowing, households are in debt and the cash registers in the high street are quiet.

But Britain still has low unemployment, low inflation, its own currency and entrepreneurs in every business park. Meanwhile France, with 10 per cent unemployment, is economically moribund and politically chaotic. So Mr de Villepin is right. France is still magnificent - for a holiday, as long as you can make it home again.

www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk . . .

[Olivier]

Hello, Blackleaf,

Your systematic criticism toward French and France starts to be boring. Moreover it is useless and wrong - a completely distorted vision of our country.

So, could you please tell why you systematically criticise France?

[Talon]

Your systematic criticism toward French and France starts to be boring. Moreover it is useless and wrong - a completely distorted vision of our country.

I know, I noticed that too, half his topics seem just about criticising France or the rest of Europe

Paticularly annoying is how he keeps putting in bold the part of the post that claims his country is better than everyone elses.

Edited June 10, 2005 by Talon S.

[Hans Dolbrook]

be nice if we could have a 4 day workweek here in the usa.i have respect for france,hell the us saved the french from the nazis.is it true that the new french tanks have 1 forward speed,and 10 reverse speeds?(just kidding lol)

[Talon]

The French also helped the US in the War of Independence btw.

[__Kratos__]

The French also helped the US in the War of Independence btw.

667595[/snapback]

Yep... still fun to poke at them though. I mean... who gives up a entire city for nothing?

[Super Pancake]

Also believe it or not France is a huge supporter on intelligence when it comes to the war on terrorism, they do have a huge muslim community, can't remember when but they did stop a couple of terrorist activities against the U.S., but I think they are still little girly men!

[Talon]

I think a lot of Americans seem to forget the French are still a friendly democractic western nation, they just don't like people telling them how to run their country.

Edited June 10, 2005 by Talon S.

[Fluffybunny]

I think a lot of Americans seem to forget the French are still a friendly democractic western nation, they just don't like people telling them how to run their country.

667845[/snapback]

Dang skippy...

I don't get it at all. I look forward to visiting again. Great place, good people. We would not be a nation without their support.

[Talon]

Exactly

[__Kratos__]

I think a lot of Americans seem to forget the French are still a friendly democractic western nation, they just don't like people telling them how to run their country.

667845[/snapback]

Same could be said about America, we are not fans of being told what to do either.

If the French want to stay as they are, let them. No point in poking a dead animal to wake it up.

[girty1600]

I wish I could get away with working 35 hours a week; I work 35 hours in 3 days and still have a 5 ir 6 day work week.

[Hans Dolbrook]

The French also helped the US in the War of Independence btw.

667595[/snapback]

yes,you guys have helped us too.we sent the redcoats back to england,thanks to the french navy.france,britain,usa,china,and russia were all the founding members of the un.

[zephyr]

while France is trying to achieve the 35-hour working week, India is inventing the 35-hour day.

And we have long invented the 35-hour year!

the French are still a friendly democractic western nation, they just don't like people telling them how to run their country

I can think of a few unfriendly, undemocratic eastern nations that don't like people telling them how to run theirs either!

"Hard work is for donkeys"; an old Persian saying! 'donkeys' is usually replaced by 'tractors' in more modern versions!

[wunarmdscissor]

yes,you guys have helped us too.we sent the redcoats back to england,thanks to the french navy.france,britain,usa,china,and russia were all the founding members of the un.

british sent the british home. lol

[Talon]

yes,you guys have helped us too.we sent the redcoats back to england

Not really, the reddcoats might have been kicked out of America, but they still stayed in Scotland ethnically-cleansing Highlanders.

Edited June 11, 2005 by Talon S.

[Olivier]

Sorry if I got a bit angry about Blackleaf's message

He says French people are lazy because of the 35-hour week.

That got on my nerves because many, many F. people work MUCH more than that.

I used to be a teacher and worked about 50 or 60 hours per week for a very low wage.

By now, I am creating my own firm and prefer not to count the time spent on that purpose.

In fact I never meant to be aggressive with Blackleaf

I just feel a bit schocked by his will to generalize French's (supposed) drawbacks.

[SnakeProphet]

Sorry if I got a bit angry about Blackleaf's message

He says French people are lazy because of the 35-hour week.

That got on my nerves because many, many F. people work MUCH more than that.

I used to be a teacher and worked about 50 or 60 hours per week for a very low wage.

By now, I am creating my own firm and prefer not to count the time spent on that purpose.

In fact I never meant to be aggressive with Blackleaf

I just feel a bit schocked by his will to generalize French's (supposed) drawbacks.

It s not only France it s Germany and many other European countries as well.

Europhobic I guess.

[Olivier]

I may have especially noticed those dealing with France (because I am French , but I also have qualities ).

[SnakeProphet]

I may have especially noticed those dealing with France (because I am French , but I also have qualities ).

I ve noticed it as well.It s especially France,I was only stating that it is not ONLY France.

[Talon]

It s not only France it s Germany and many other European countries as well.

Europhobic I guess.

Aye, he was swearing off against Scotland too only 3 weeks back.

I don't think he likes anyone who isn't English.

[Hans Dolbrook]

he seems like he really takes everything here personal,does he?that is the one thing ya can't do,we are all just stating opinions,and that should'nt be personal should it?i really like this forum,and i'm really gonna try hardr to be as polite as i can so i wiil not be evicted.

[TaintedDoughnuts]

french are cool, they helped us a lot, but the language is kind of wierd! dont you french speakers get confused when you dont say the last constanant of a word? so how do you make stuff plural? just a little curious anyways, yeah french are tight peepz and the way they get stereotyped in american cartoons is just absurd

[Hans Dolbrook]

hell,i have a hard enough time speaking english.no way i'm gonna try to pick up another language.

[wunarmdscissor]

hes verging on the racist with his posts, its really gettin VERY boring.