President Nicolas Sarkozy's key electoral promise to allow the French to "work more to earn more" has hit a major snag: most have no desire to put in extra hours to raise their wages, a poll has found. With the economy floundering and the French consistently complaining that falling purchasing power is their main worry, only a quarter are prepared to work more to raise their standard of living. Almost six out of ten have no desire to increase their working hours, according to a CSA poll published in the Le Parisien newspaper.Some 13 per cent would like to work less, even if that means seeing living standards drop.The figures were published as new legislation diluting the 35-hour working week comes into force this month. Companies can now negotiate with unions or directly with employees wishing to work longer hours - up to 48 per week. In theory, workers receive 25 per cent more for overtime, but the polls suggests that not many intend to take it.
With the economy floundering and the French consistently complaining that falling purchasing power is their main worry, only a quarter are prepared to work more to raise their standard of living.
Almost six out of ten have no desire to increase their working hours, according to a CSA poll published in the Le Parisien newspaper.
Some 13 per cent would like to work less, even if that means seeing living standards drop.
The figures were published as new legislation diluting the 35-hour working week comes into force this month.
Companies can now negotiate with unions or directly with employees wishing to work longer hours - up to 48 per week. In theory, workers receive 25 per cent more for overtime, but the polls suggests that not many intend to take it.
only a quarter are prepared to work more to raise their standard of living quantity of lifestyle.
Oh, UMP has been addressing that all along, with their 'let's emulate USA strategy': make the wages low enough and the prices high enough that they will have no choice. Works a treat in the end. Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
Companies can now negotiate with unions or directly with employees wishing to work longer hours
Longer hours are not a choice that belongs to the employee but to the employer... Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
But why let the cliché get in the way of a good story. Read an interview of M.Rollier (Michelin CEO) recently: he said that foreigners visiting their HQ in Clermont-Ferrand were always surprised to see how many hours their French colleagues were putting at work...
Same old, same old... Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
