Posted on 05/15/2005 9:19:17 PM PDT by Heartofsong83
French to Protest Lost National Holiday By JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press Writer Sun May 15, 5:41 PM ET
PARIS - A French government plan to scrap an annual springtime holiday in favor of a "Day of Solidarity" with the elderly seemed like a good idea when the law was passed — and the extra work day was far in the future.
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But the end to a coveted day off — which would normally fall on Monday — has not gone down well among the leisure-loving French, and now a spectrum of workers across the country was preparing to stay off the job to protest the decision.
The national "Day of Solidarity" — an extra work day in place of the annual Pentecost holiday — was part of the government's response to a 2003 heat wave that killed 15,000 people, mostly elderly.
Under a new law, workers give up a holiday, while their employers pay into a government fund to improve health care for the aged and handicapped.
In recent months, anger over the plan has become intermingled with discontent on issues ranging from high unemployment to budget cuts.
Unlike other holidays, the traditional day off on the Monday after the Christian festival of Pentecost falls on the same week of the year, making it easier for groups and families to plan getaways or activities each year.
Making matters worse this year was that two other annual holidays on May 1 and May 8 each fell on Sundays — meaning no day off.
At first, it seemed like a good idea to close ranks with the growing numbers of elderly in France. But with the approach of the now-former holiday, public disgruntlement has swelled.
"On Monday, the government is going to feel the backlash from a totally unilateral measure made against the advice of unions and seen by workers as unjust, ineffective and hypocritical," said Maryse Dumas, the No. 2 official at the Communist-backed CGT union.
A poll published Sunday in regional weekly Dimanche Ouest France indicated that 55 percent of the French do not plan on going to work on Monday.
Jean-Francois Cope, spokesman for the center-right government, insisted the workday would be respected "for the most part" and played down the figures. The survey of 1,016 adults was conducted by phone on Thursday and Friday; no margin of error was given.
"Many, many French understand that if this measure was taken, it's simply because there is a lot at stake," Cope told France-Inter radio. "I know for the moment it's causing some people to grit their teeth. That's normal."
Few knew just who would turn up for work — or where. Transport authorities in 90 towns and cities warned of crippling strikes, but the Paris subway operator said trains would be running close to normal.
Compounding the confusion is a private-sector exemption. Automaker Renault and bank Societe Generale were giving their employees a day off, while retailer La Redoute was scrapping the holiday. Unions at Air France and France Telecom called on members to strike.
Taxi drivers' unions and a doctors' federation called on their members to apply increased holiday rates for service on Monday.
The government expects the extra work day to reap about $2.5 billion a year in additional revenue for health care.
The health minister says even that is too little.
"The needs are considerable," Philippe Douste-Blazy told Radio-J. "It's really on the scale of closer to $7.5 billion" per year, he said.
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Associated Press Writer Jean-Marie Godard in Paris contributed to this report.
I do think that there should be a fair amount of holidays, but the work week should be an individual decision beyond 40 hours (if an employee wants to work more, that's OK, but he/she should only be allowed to on his/her own decision).
Cut into their cheese-eating and appeasing time and they get cranky, don't they?
What did they celebrate on that day, surrender to Germany or something like that?
No idea...
15,000 old folks die, and the French create a holiday that's not actually a holiday. Man, if it was 150,000 dead, would they have created a weeklong holiday that's not actually a holiday?
Day after Pentecost Sunday a.k.a. Pentecost Monday. It's a holiday in much of Europe. I guess May 1 was May Day and May 8 was V-E day. Both fell on Sundays, so the French workers are annoyed about not getting any public holidays in May when they were used to getting 3.
Holidays should always carry over to the Monday when they fall on a Sunday...in that sense, May 2 and 9 would have been holidays there. I guess the French screwed that one up?
The lethargic French wouldn't get up to jump in the lake if their asses were on fire. The whole herd drops everything for the entire month of August and they have a three-day holiday every four days (well, almost).
I actually agree with the Communists on this one - don't shoot me!
I agree that France has too many holidays but why take away a Christian one? Take away May day or another Marxist one.
After all the word "holiday" came from "holy day"
Same here; I much prefer the early September "Labor Day" to the Marxist May Day...
Should the United States adopt all these religious holidays? Also should Sunday be "sacred" (bringing back all the blue laws)?
Very true. No wonder everybody wants so much time off there ;}
This is absurd.
No one gives a damn about the French.
This is just as outrageous as the recent blitz of bald-faced propaganda about the Ukraine.
Get lost.
Then again, it is mostly the French unions (which are 100% Marxist-Leninist) who are to blame...they make the American unions look conservative
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