Even though several Western European countries have been rocked by strikes this winter, French unions are not reaping much cross-border solidarity in their fight against the plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. years by 2030, as they paralyze parts of their country [le 7 mars].
Commentators from the rest of Europe laugh at the anger caused by “what would be considered a gentle reform” everywhere else than in France – a “Island of the privileged” where full-time employees are entitled to at least five weeks of vacation per year. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, let it be understood that the opposition to the government’s project was guided by the “laziness”.
It can be difficult for outsiders to feel sympathy for French workers, with their 35-hour weeks, their generous lunch breaks and vacations, and their “right to disconnect” professional communication outside working hours. However, the opponents of President Macron’s project say they are misunderstood. Their fury is not rooted in laziness but in the fact that the French are already working hard, too hard in fact.
Productivity, burnout, accidents
“Many unions believe that before considering a pension reform, we must first talk about work itself”, says Bruno Palier, research director [du CNRS] at Sciences Po Paris, which studies European public policies.
“An American might be surprised to hear this, but since we have paid holidays and a 35-hour work week, when the French are working, they work very, very hard.”
In terms of output per hour, French workers were according to the OECD more productive than Germans – who are often seen as obsessed with efficiency – and only marginally less than Americans in 2019.
France also has one of the burnout and accident rates
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