Flavio about Business 2.0

As NZZ is reporting, millions of French functionaries are protesting against their presidents reform initiative. Sarkozy has announced to augment working hours and cut 150′000 jobs in the government sector. He has also announced that France’s Universities should be more autonomous and more competitive and wants to deregulate employment law. (Remember that in France regular employees are not allowed to work more than 35 hours even if they want to)

These and other initiatives would greatly improve the catastrophic lethargy that perpetuates through the whole country.

But it seems that the left who clearly lost the elections past May is doing everything in their powers to prevent the progressive president to make change happen. Trains not running, airplanes being hours late and empty schools are all the result of functionaries carrying out their strike because they are going to lose some of their highly desirable priviliges of government employees.

I am sure there are 100′000’s of people who would gladly change position with the functionaries even if it meant dealing with reforms - still much better than to be unemployed, a group that is currently representing 8% of the French workforce.

The left needs to realize it can only help the unemployed by being ready to give up some of their privileges. Because what they are currently defending is not social at all, it’s defending their own interest - a trend that can also be recognized in Switzerland: Electors of the SP are mostly teachers, functionaries and health care employees.

I salute Sarkozy on his strength to pull through the much needed reforms and him not being impressed by the demonstrations that are causing quite a turmoil in France. He was elected by France’s population to carry out reforms and that’s what he will do now. Go Sarkozy!