Macron signs French labour reforms into law amid protests
French President Emmanuel Macron signed five decrees to implement labour reform measures. The reforms will give employers more flexibility to negotiate pay and conditions with their employees.
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) signs documents in front of the media to promulgate a new labour bill in his office at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, September 22, 2017 as Minister of Labour Muriel Penicaud and Government Spokesman Christophe Castaner look on.
President Emmanuel Macron formally signed five decrees overhauling France's labour rules on Friday, the first major economic reforms since he took power in May.
The new rules, discussed at length in advance with unions, will cap payouts on dismissals that are judged unfair, while also giving companies greater freedom to hire and fire employees and to agree on working conditions.
Macron said that the decrees would become law in the coming days, although they do not take effect in practice until further decrees spelling out finer details are signed before the end of the year.
Leaders and members of labour unions opposed to the reform - not all unions are totally opposed - marched through cities across France on Thursday in protest, albeit in much lower numbers than similar protests a week earlier.
The changes to the labour code are the first in a number of reforms Macron has promised with the aim of reinvigorating the economy and bringing down unemployment.
There are also plans to amend the unemployment benefits and pension systems, changes that are likely to provoke much more popular unrest.
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