Fecking French air traffic controllers.

Wife and children flying to La Rochelle tomorrow and flights cancelled. So much for my week of peace.

 

It's not just the air traffic controllers, there's trouble on the railways as well and probably lots more besides. It also happens to be a BEAUTIFUL day over here. Not that I'm saying they timed it to coincide with the weather forecast, you understand . . .

 

Am heading out to France on friday providing they dont bugger things up

BT

 

Should be ok it was just 2/3/4th

The wife is flying tomorrow..thank ****. bring on the dancing girls.

 

MIght be an extended stay

It's all getting pretty heated over here. I'd not be surprised to see more strikes in the coming days and weeks, although I must admit I've not been following this one too closely on the news. The conditions which are attached to the new employment laws are making a lot of people very unhappy but they do seem to be the only measure put forward so far to reduce France's mass youth unemployment problem. On the other hand it all seems to be more to do with the Presidential election next year than the best thing to do now so it's going to take something for the government to back down.

So you might well have an extended period of debauchery to plan.

 

RE: MIght be an extended stay

So just how does making it easier to sack people improve an unemployment problem - that's the bit I can't work out with this!

 

Believe it or not I actually agree with it to some extent

The problem is that in many European countries, particularly Scandinavia but also France, it's so difficult and costly to get rid of employees who can't cut the mustard that it proves a real barrier to taking people on, particularly those with no experience. If you're going to be stuck with someone whether they're any good or not then it's safer to employ someone older with experience and a CV/references than to take a chance on some young kid fresh out of University who may be the dogs wotsits but may equally be a lazy barsteward (not uncommon in France, as previously suggested on the BBS). So employers don't employ young people.

The CPE proposes a probationary 2-year period. According to a young friend of my wife's, the problem is that during this period she wouldn't be able to get any credit or a mortgage. However, as I pointed out, she can't do that now while she's unemployed either. If it works it may be a big step forward but I fear it may be abused by unscrupulous employers.