François Bayrou says Easter Monday and VE Day could become normal workdays as critics call plan ‘a direct attack on France’

France’s prime minister, François Bayrou, has proposed scrapping two public holidays as part of radical measures aimed at reducing the country’s ballooning deficit, boosting its economy and preventing it being “crushed” by debt.

Outlining the 2026 budget on Tuesday, Bayrou suggested Easter Monday and 8 May, when France commemorates Victory Day, marking the end of the second world war, although he said he was open to other options.

The centrist prime minister said: “The entire nation has to work more so that the activity of the country as a whole increases, and so that France’s situation improves. Everyone will have to contribute to the effort.”

France is under pressure to bring its public deficit, running at 5.8% of GDP, under the 3% figure required by EU rules, and to rein in €3.3tn of public debt – on which the annual interest, of €60bn, could soon become its biggest budget outlay.

  • Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zipEnglish
    91·
    1 day ago

    That’s is just 10 days (two weeks) more than the mandatory minimum for new eyployees, it’s above average, but it’s what you get in most EU countries with some 10~20 years of work & a few kids.

    (The orange part is just the starting minimum.)

    • dubyakay@lemmy.caEnglish
      41·
      1 day ago

      What a shitty info graphics. Says Europe and then doesn’t even touch anything past the Iron Curtain. What is this, 1989?

      Hungary has 11 public holidays. And the number of vacation days are mandated by age, starting with 20 days at age twenty and then gaining one additional day every two years, so at forty-five and above for a total of 30. Since this is not based on tenure, it doesn’t matter whom you work for. Plus two more days for the first two kids, and an additional three for the third for a total of seven.

      This is on top of 15 covered sick days, which you can also take for taking care of sick dependents under the age of 12.

      • Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zipEnglish
        2·
        1 day ago

        Yes, true, I looked for a better one but gave up :( (mid meeting at the office).

        But overall productivity isn’t actually an issue, wealth concentration is, saying more work-hours are needed is such a shitty approach (well, there are much shittier ones too, def!).