The French Unions are Striking, Welcome to our World

FRANCE - LABOUR

//http://www.france24.com/en/20080617-unions-march-against-plan-change-35-hour-week-france

French unions march to defend 35-hour week
Tuesday 17 June 2008
The CGT and CFDT unions called on their members to march Tuesday against a government plan to revise the 35-hour work week and make it possible for companies to negotiate directly with employees on overtime and compensation.

The French are fed up! The government is attempting to loosen restrictions on the workweek. The unions are up in arms at the possibility of a work week longer than 35 hours. There is so much unease that the unions are supporting nationwide strikes.

This brought to mind an editorial article in a local paper titled "Americans Over worked?". My work is not governed by the traditional 40 hour workweek. I felt compelled to do some research and came up with the following response which was published in the same paper.


September 22: Americans Overworked?

In response to the Wednesday, Sept. 19, editorial, I disagree with the statement: "Portrait of Overworked American Not Accurate."

We all can agree the United States economy has had robust growth in recent years. The reason being Americans are working hard, harder and longer than our contemporary high-income countries, as well as many middle-and low-income countries.

A recent Harvard School of Public Health study of 168 of the world's nations found: 84 countries have laws that fix a maximum limit on the workweek; the United States does not; 163 of 168 countries guarantee paid leave for mothers in connection with childbirth, 45 countries offer such leave to fathers. The United States does not. Paid sick leave is guaranteed in 139 countries, not in the United States; 96 countries guarantee paid annual (vacation) leave, the United States does not; 37 countries guarantee parents paid time off when children are sick, the United States does not.

The International Labour Organization's ILO News, Sept. 6, 1999, reported Americans work the longest hours among industrialized countries. Lawrence Jeff Johnson, ILO labor economist, said, "Currently (1999) the U.S. worker works more hours than his or her counterpart in other industrialized countries, and he or she also leads the way in terms of productivity.

The United States had 1,966 annual number of hours worked in 1997. Given 52 weeks in the year, that is 37.8 hours per week. Japan was next with 1,889 hours annually, followed by Australia at 1866 hours. Canada worked 1,732.4 hours, Germany 1,559.5 hours, France 1,656 hours and United Kingdom 1,731. Other countries were even lower.

In October 2004, Common Ground, an independent Canadian publication, noted current workweeks lower than the United States 40-hour week. This would include France, 35 hours; Netherlands, 36 or 38 hours; Denmark, 37; Norway, 37.5; Belgium, 38; Portugal, 40 and Spain, 35. At that time the European Union Working Time Directive required a minimum of four weeks paid leave for all employees, with several EU countries having five weeks (25 working days) of vacation by law.

Europeans work less and relax more than Americans. Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show Americans work 25 percent more hours each year than Norwegians or Dutch. Average retirement age of European men is 60.5 and it is lower for European women. Our vacations are pathetically short by comparison. Among countries surveyed by Expedia.com, Americans receive the fewest vacation days on average per year, 14, compared to 24 in Great Britain, 26 in Germany, 30 in Spain and 36 in France.

Compared to our peers, Americans work longer hours per week and take less time off; have no guarantees as to how much time they may be required to work; no guarantee as to time off; no guarantee for sick time or time to care for sick children, not to mention no paid leave for childbirth, mother or father.

We have more leisure time, yet still we work more than our counterparts. So is the portrait accurate when an American is called overworked? I think yes.

Dean Pennington II