Word: french
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...French members of Sarkozy's conservative-dominated parliament passed an amendment to the 2008 budget Tuesday, lifting the president's annual salary from $146,000 to $346,000. The move seeks to clarify the complicated, multi-sourced arrangement under which French Presidents have been paid. Indeed, even as leftist opponents sought to express indignation over the appearance of the rightist legislators sneaking a sweetheart raise to their leader, Sarkozy himself was defiantly unapologetic about the raise or its motives. "I want transparency," Sarkozy declared during a visit in Corsica, referring to the convoluted collection of revenues like advances on paid...
...they do: Under the new system, Sarkozy and future French heads of state will get roughly the same monthly pay as the nation's prime minister does - a monthly, pre-tax pay of around $28,000. Even with that substantial bump, Sarkozy's new remuneration won't be the envy of many of his international peers. The annual salary of U.S. President George W. Bush, for example, is $494,000, versus $384,000 for U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and $391,000 for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Sarkozy's official income is also dwarfed by that of European pay champion...
...stagnated since 2000, when companies froze salaries to compensate for productivity losses they anticipated from the new 35-hour workweek. With the passage of time and inflation, that has placed a strain on purchasing power - a concern listed by voters at the top of many polls. "Just as the French people are worrying about their purchasing power, the government increases presidential payment by 140%," said Socialist Party legislator Aurélie Filippetti before parliament. "Aren't there greater injustices to be addressed...
...jumped on Sarkozy's pay hike to highlight what they call the President's reformist hypocrisy: clarifying and normalizing governmental pay scales by lifting them, while harmonizing public and private sector pension plans by scaling those downward. "There's a feeling the political class is helping itself while the French people are left on the sidewalk to fend for themselves," lamented Socialist legislator Arnaud Montebourg...
...such comments could be simple opposition politics seeking to exploit an awkward moment for the government. Whether Montebourg's analysis actually finds resonance in public opinion should become clear when polls on the question are published later next week. And then there will be the next important demonstration of French society's enthusiasm (or lack thereof) for Sarkozy's reform agenda: the success of the nationwide strikes on Nov. 20 and the level of public support for them...