During the French Revolution, the
Le Chapelier Law 1791 was passed to prohibit unions or guilds and strikes in particular, with a proclamation of "free enterprise". On 25 May 1864, the
loi Ollivier was passed to reverse the prohibitions on strike action. The prohibitions on forming trade unions were lifted by the
Waldeck Rousseau laws passed on 21 March 1884. Additional labor laws were introduced during the Twentieth Century. Between 1936 and 1938 the
Popular Front enacted a law mandating 12 days (2 weeks) each year of paid
vacation for workers, and the
Matignon Accords (1936). This established the right to organise a union, to bargain collectively, a legal
right to strike, and was followed by enactments which limited the work week to 40 hours, excluding overtime, and guaranteed paid holidays. The
Grenelle agreements negotiated on 25 and 26 May, in the middle of the
May 1968 crisis, reduced the working week to 44 hours and created trade union sections in each enterprise. The minimum wage was also increased by 25%. In 2000
Lionel Jospin's government then enacted the
35-hour workweek, down from 39 hours. Five years later, conservative prime minister
Dominique de Villepin enacted the
New Employment Contract (CNE). Addressing the demands of employers asking for more
flexibility in French labour laws, the CNE sparked criticism from trade unions and opponents claiming it was lending favour to
contingent work. In 2006 he then attempted to pass the
First Employment Contract (CPE) through a vote by emergency procedure, but that it was met by
students and unions' protests. President
Jacques Chirac finally had no choice but to repeal it. The "
right to disconnect" law came into force in January 2017, which means that companies with more than 50 workers will be obliged to draw up a charter of good conduct. This charter sets out the hours in which staff are not supposed to send or answer emails. •
June Days Uprising (1848) •
Champagne Riots (1910-1911) •
LIP (company) (1974-1976) ==French labour code==