Work Less So More Can Work: France's 35-Hour Workweek and the Politics of Labor Market Reform

摘要

Since the 1970's, governments and labor organizations in Western Europe have attempted to lower weekly work-hours in order to combat rising joblessness. France's Aubry Laws (introduced in 1997 and 1999) were unique in their use of a reduction in the legal duration of work. While there are many studies of the legislation's impact on employment, wage growth, and working-conditions, accounts of the political dynamics surrounding the reform of working-time are more rare. This dissertation looks at the development of work-time regulation in France. It argues that the introduction of the 35-hour legal workweek reflected the political constraints on French policy makers at a time of elevated joblessness. After 2002, a series of conservative governments sought to weaken the legal restrictions on employee hours through measures to increase 'flexibility' and promote 'social dialogue.' In both respects, the evolution of work-time regulation was indicative the difficulties reformers face in their efforts to reverse the 'hierarchy of norms' in the French labor market. This is in contrast to Germany, where work-time reduction through collective bargaining laid the basis for a negotiated path to flexibility.