Daimler Threatens To Close French Assembly Plant If Workers Cling To 35 Hour Work Week

Daimler is the latest company trying to skirt French restrictions on the length of the workweek, which was introduced 15 years ago by the Socialist Party.

Daimler says it wants workers in Hambach, France, where it makes the Smart ForTwo, to put in more hours and has hinted that it may shift production if it cannot reach an agreement with employees.

French President Francois Hollande, who was general secretary of the Socialist Party when the 35-hour workweek bill was created in 2000, is now seeking to make France's labor market more flexible to combat high unemployment, now at 18-year high.

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MDarringer - 8/12/2015 10:27:27 AM

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35 hours is cushy. Most conventional career jobs are 40 hours and some of us put in more.

TheSteve - 8/12/2015 10:38:54 AM

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MDarringer: You're right about many North Americans putting in more hours, but did you know that the idea of a "weekend" -- Saturday and Sunday off work -- was only implemented in the first half of the 20th century in North America, and only by "socialist" influences? Working as "little" as 40 hours per week was a *reduction* from what came before!

While working more hours per week is common this side of the pond, I would NOT argue that it's "righter" or "better". As a self-employed consultant, I have the luxury of making my own hours, and taking months off at a time if I choose, and I find it "painful" to switch from 6 months off to putting in 40 hours per week on a contract. My heart goes out to the good people of North America who don't have the luxury of my work flexibility. And yes, I know many others on the planet have it much, much worse than we do.

My opinion is that in France, people work to live, and they have a 35 hour week that shows that. In North America, many people live to work -- 40+ hours, plus commute, and some with two or more jobs.

nguyenvuminh - 8/12/2015 12:13:41 PM

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I kind of chuckle whenever I read about "USA's productivity". When you bring work home to work at night, get up at 5:30am to check email, talk on the phone while driving, wolf something resembling food in 15 - 20 minutes for lunch, and in effect work 60 hours per week, that's not "productivity". That's just working more hours. Europe and Australia are just as modern and productive while they still maintain some semblance of family, life, health and culture. I wouldn't be so arrogant to call those countries (yes, many of them socialist) inferior.

Car4Life - 8/12/2015 6:41:03 PM

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It's so funny I was having a conversation with my younger sister about why her peers were sooooo obsessed with celebrities.

She pretty much eluded to what i'm seeing here, for the newer generation celebrities represent these individuals working to LIVE and not living to work while at the same time doing what they Love to Do.

No set schedule or weekly hours, but basically the idea that you get out of your career, what you put into it, and when you vacation you VACATION, none of this petty 1-3 weeks per year crap.

For her Celebrities represent a certain amount of freedom and work life/balance, that European and Asian countries embody quite well.

TomM - 8/12/2015 12:53:34 PM

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Virtually the entire western world of countries - has the same problem - there are fewer and fewer manufacturing jobs - which are moving to areas where there a no unions OR - they are moving to less developed countries where their pay is a lot lower and in some cases also allow less benefits too. Manufacturers cannot produce the small cheap cars in older economies.

But don't believe that the USA is different - they ALL are working more hours - have the commute - and lots have two or more lower paying jobs. In fact it is likely they need that 35hour/week job to allow them to take another job. And the cost of living in some of those countries is much higher than the US - virtually all have Much higher energy prices. This is not something that only happens in the US.