WHEN 35 = 0:

Blow to France's 35-hour week law (Jo Johnson in Paris and Ralph Atkins, July 19 2004, Financial Times)

French workers at a car components factory owned by Bosch on Monday dealt a blow to the country's law limiting the working week to 35 hours, as they unilaterally accepted demands from the private German automotive group to work longer for the same pay.

The near-unanimity of the vote at Bosch's Vénissieux plant near Lyon is expected to encourage other companies to seek ways of securing greater flexibility in Europe's rigid labour markets, in the absence of political will for reform. The vote was the first of its kind in France and could set a precedent for a gradual de facto reversal of the 35-hour week.

Only 2 per cent of Bosch's 820 workers refused to amend their contracts to allow themselves to work 36 hours. Jacques Chirac, the French president, and his centre-right government have been struggling to regain control of a corporate trend that is growing in political importance across continental Europe.

In Germany, moves to extend working hours could become unstoppable. Siemens had said it would otherwise shift production to Hungary - a threat that Nicolas Sarkozy, French finance minister, described as "a form of extortion that would be unthinkable over here". Other big companies seeking longer working hours in Germany include MAN, Linde, Bosch and Opel.

Mr. Sarkozy is kidding himself--globalization takes away the leverage of states and workers.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 20, 2004 11:43 PM