https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed French labour unions have vowed a wave of strikes against a pension overhaul promised by President Emmanuel Macron, a centrepiece of his drive to reform vast swathes of the economy. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191207/frances-pension-system-how-it-works-and-what-does-macron-want-to-change Sat, 07 Dec 2019 10:30:50 +0100 frances-pension-system-how-it-works-and-what-does-macron-want-to-change French rail workers launched their latest two-day strike on Sunday over plans to overhaul the heavily indebted train operator SNCF, the biggest test yet to President Emmanuel Macron's wide-ranging drive to reform the country's econom https://www.thelocal.fr/20180408/french-rail-workers-press-ahead-with-strike Sun, 08 Apr 2018 21:15:11 +0200 french-rail-workers-press-ahead-with-strike The French government promised to keep the national railways public on Wednesday as it unveiled its reform plans for the debt-laden network, but trade unions warned of rolling strikes and disruptions nation-wide. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180315/france-begins-tricky-rail-reforms-as-strike-threat-looms Thu, 15 Mar 2018 10:07:01 +0100 france-begins-tricky-rail-reforms-as-strike-threat-looms French railways workers were urged Friday to join civil servants in a nationwide day of protest next month against President Emmanuel Macron's reform agenda in what will be a major test of strength. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180216/macron-to-face-nationwide-protests-in-march-says-union Fri, 16 Feb 2018 12:50:53 +0100 macron-to-face-nationwide-protests-in-march-says-union French president Emmanuel Macron told a gathering of lawmakers on Monday that France was ready for a "radically new path" which would include "profound changes" including slashing the number of MPs and Senators by a third and ending the state of emergency. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170703/macron-says-france-ready-for-radically-new-path Mon, 03 Jul 2017 19:40:25 +0200 macron-says-france-ready-for-radically-new-path Police reacted with tear gas and water cannons as peaceful protests organized by students and unions turned violent, with clashes in Paris and Nantes in particular. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160517/more-clashes-break-out-at-labour-reform-protests-in-paris-nantes Tue, 17 May 2016 17:51:53 +0200 more-clashes-break-out-at-labour-reform-protests-in-paris-nantes France's young and divisive Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron has launched his own political movement "On the Move", a name which could reflect his own position ahead of next year's presidential election. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160407/emmanuel-macron-is-frances-whizzkid-minister-making-a-bid-for-the-presidency Thu, 07 Apr 2016 09:39:49 +0200 emmanuel-macron-is-frances-whizzkid-minister-making-a-bid-for-the-presidency Under pressure from unions and student groups the French government has come up with a watered down version of its original labour reforms bill. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160314/french-government-waters-down-contested-labour-market-reform Mon, 14 Mar 2016 17:43:08 +0100 french-government-waters-down-contested-labour-market-reform Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie’s regional council voted on a new name for the region on Monday, but not everyone is pleased. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160314/frances-new-regions-have-started-to-choose-their-new-names Mon, 14 Mar 2016 17:16:11 +0100 frances-new-regions-have-started-to-choose-their-new-names French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday retreated on controversial labour reform plans opposed by the left flank of his Socialist Party, setting a new round of consultations on the proposals. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160229/french-government-wobbles-on Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:22:53 +0100 french-government-wobbles-on France will move to reform its notoriusly complex system of labour laws, the country's PM said on Wednesday, but not until 2016. There may be trouble ahead. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150909/france-to-reform-labour-code-complex-2016 Wed, 09 Sep 2015 15:25:22 +0200 france-to-reform-labour-code-complex-2016 France's Socialist government survived a vote of no-confidence tied to its controversial economic reform package on Thursday. In a message to Socialist Party rebels Manuel Valls vowed: "We won't stop reforming" France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150220/french-pm-reform-france-confidence-vote-macron Fri, 20 Feb 2015 09:16:00 +0100 french-pm-reform-france-confidence-vote-macron France's Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he had received death threats from "certain officials" furious over his plans to reform parts of the closed-shop economy. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150202/french-minister-receives-death-threats-over-reforms Mon, 02 Feb 2015 19:07:00 +0100 french-minister-receives-death-threats-over-reforms "All French people are a little like Air France pilots". This is the view of French Economy expert Nicolas Bouzou, who argues that the crippling Air France pilots' strike is representative of a country that appears incapable of reform. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140926/pilots-strike-shows-france-cannot-reform Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:04:00 +0200 pilots-strike-shows-france-cannot-reform The head of France's central bank said the country, fighting stagnation and high unemployment, is at a crossroads where it can choose decline or recovery. He warned the former was likely without urgent government reform. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140911/decline-recovery-french-economy-bank Thu, 11 Sep 2014 14:17:00 +0200 decline-recovery-french-economy-bank French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is banging the drum for reform of France’s labour market, which may please many foreign economists and Brussels finance chiefs, but not everyone in France believes change is necessary, let alone possible. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140710/france-reforms-labour-brussels Thu, 10 Jul 2014 17:03:00 +0200 france-reforms-labour-brussels France is "paralyzed" and needs urgent reforms to set it back "in motion", Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Sunday on the eve of a job creation summit, that threatens to be overshadowed by a row between unions and the government. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140707/france-is-paralysed-and-needs-reform-pm-pleads Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:37:00 +0200 france-is-paralysed-and-needs-reform-pm-pleads As the French government heads back to work on Monday, one would hope for his sake that President François Hollande had an especially relaxing summer holiday. Because between jobs, pensions and taxes, he faces a testing new term. Here's a look at his workload. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130819/hollande-faces-gruelling-back-to-school-tests Mon, 19 Aug 2013 13:17:00 +0200 hollande-faces-gruelling-back-to-school-tests The French government on Friday launched a set of policies intend to reform the country's debt-ridden pensions system. The tough new measures, however, are likely to face strong opposition from an already hard-hit French public. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130614/france-set-for-tough-pension-reform Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:45:00 +0200 france-set-for-tough-pension-reform The EU issued some strict orders for France to get its house in order on Wednesday. The European Commission told France to overhaul its costly pension system and loosen up its inflexible labour market but there was at least some good news for Paris. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130529/eu-orders-france-to-reform-pensions-and-jobs-market Wed, 29 May 2013 18:27:00 +0200 eu-orders-france-to-reform-pensions-and-jobs-market