May 09, 2012
A Washington Post article on the likely composition of France’s new socialist government mentioned Martine Aubrey, a former minister, who it identified as the main proponent of “the much-criticized 35-hour workweek in the 1990s.” There is probably no major policy change that could not be described as “much criticized,” however they generally do not appear with this characterization in the Washington Post and other major news outlets.
In fact, the 35-hour workweek has proven to be hugely popular in France. Nicolas Sarkozy, the current president, had attempted to roll back the law, but he was forced to back down in the face of overwhelming public opposition. The result was that he only made relatively minor changes in the law.
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