When Michelle Obama wanted to take her daughters shopping in Paris last month at a chic children's boutique, President Nicolas Sarkozy had to make a call to open the shop. Pourquoi?
In France, it's illegal for many stores to open on Sundays. Now Mr. Sarkozy wants to change that.
Not a moment too soon for the French economy.
Parliament is likely to pass a bill that would scrap the 1906 law restricting Sunday work.
The law's original purpose was to keep Sundays sacred -- France's empty churches show how well that's worked -- and the Catholic Church remains a strong supporter.
But it has become emblematic of the regulatory red tape strangling the economy.
Some 180 exceptions have been made to the law.
For instance, a store that sells sunglasses can open on Sunday because sunglasses are considered entertainment, while a store that sells eyeglasses must be closed.
For many French citizens, being able to shop and work on Sunday would improve the quality of their lives.
Some workers, such as students, even prefer to work on weekends.
Opening on Sunday is good for the job market too. Legislative backers say the measure could save 15,000 jobs.
France being France, the bill will not make it universally legal to trade on Sundays -- that would be too simple. It will merely allow more stores to open in tourist areas and cities of more than one million people.
Businesses will need the regional prefect's authorization, and the measure makes it illegal to discriminate against employees who refuse to work on Sunday. Workers will be paid double for Sunday duty. Even so, the proposal is proving controversial.
The Socialist Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, said recently: "Sunday is a day of rest respected by most citizens and it must not be sacrificed by this vision of a de-regulated economy that does not take into account the family and personal lives of workers."
Au contraire.
If France is going to emerge from the economic slowdown as quickly as possible, businesses need to be free to adapt to changing times -- including the ability to serve customers when the customers want.
As Mr. Sarkozy realizes in this case, and his opponents apparently don't, a healthy economy is best for workers and their families.
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Source (WSJ)
SV (ED)