Bonds of Holy-Wedded Employment
From this morning’s Le Monde:
Laurence Parisot, head of the French (Big Bad) Bosses association, the MEDEF, recently proposed a novel new way for French bosses and employees to terminate a working relationship when the circumstances seem to call for it.
Her idea is that contract termination could be done by “friendly negociation pursued in the best interest of both parties, followed by indemnisation.” Friendly negociation is not really an option under French labor law which long ago decreed that all modification of working relationships must be preceeded by conflict, agitation, strikes, and if required, violence.
“Amicable divorce between married man and woman has existed in France since 1975. Isn’t it time that we do the same for employer-employee relationships?”, Mme. Parisot said.
Predictably this proposal set off violent reactions from the syndicats. Jean-Claude Mailly, the big boss of the Force Ouvrière union replied that the Civil Code (which applies to marriage) is not at all like the Work Code. In the former, the partners are regarded as equals, in the latter, there is a role of subordination. Speaking of the boss-worker relationship, he said, “To divorce one first has to married. And, the worker is not married to his employer.”
Haha.
Hahahaha.
Anyone who has ever hired someone in France quickly discovers that the simple act of hiring someone, ie, creating an employer/employee relationship, is far more constraining and convoluted than a simple marriage contract. Or in other words, the employer is indeed married to the employee. Says so right there on page 14,437 of the Code du Travail.
Hahahaha. I think I’m gonna cry.
Technorati Tags: Laurence Parisot, MEDEF, French labor law, Jean-Claude Mailly, Force Ouvrière
