Word: workweek
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...French citizens to work longer hours, achieve higher efficiency, and renew their love of labor. The effort is central to Sarkozy's attempt to boost economic growth through a nationwide increase in workforce productivity - a goal that requires motivating people to toil beyond the nation's legal 35-hour-workweek limitation, and, as he has put it, "Work more to earn more." But now Sarkozy is applying that slogan to himself with unexpected literalness: he is moving to increase his presidential salary by nearly...
...show the average 2005 annual salary in France was $28,540 (or $2,378 per month) - around 13 times less than Sarkozy's new take. That income level has largely 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...
...Hour Workweek...
...action or just agitation? He is running hard, but to where? Sarkozy utters all the right words, such as "globalization" and "liberalization." But when it comes to tackling France's sclerotic labor market, he talks of "assouplissement" - softening. He wants to tinker with the 35-hour workweek, not scratch it. To encourage workers, he wants to cut taxes on overtime. How to push growth? Let's have a commission first...
...rhetoric about making a "clean break" with the past, an image reinforced by the frenetic pace of the workaholic new President, Sarkozy seems well aware of the need to avoid moving too quickly or radically - as evidenced so far by his willingness to compromise on the 35-hour workweek, university reform and "minimum service" for public transport...