Emmanuel Macron's govt to introduce labour law reforms to tackle unemployment in France

Paris: President Emmanuel Macron’s government is launching an effort to redesign French labour rules, one of the most important and divisive promises of his presidency. Labour minister Muriel Penicaud told RTL radio Wednesday the government is “moving the rules of the game” in hopes of tackling unemployment, hovering near 10 percent. [caption id=“attachment_3753645” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of French President Emmanuel Macron. Reuters[/caption] A draft labour law is being presented at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, and unions fear it strips hard-earned worker protections. The government proposes to cap the financial penalty for companies sued for firing employees and to allow businesses more flexibility to define internal working rules. The government wants to use a special procedure to pass the measures this summer without extended debate in parliament. Penicaud insisted the bill could be amended and the government isn’t signing itself a “blank check.”