The labor code of 21st century

A new stage of reform of the labor market was opened Wednesday, November 4th. An important step, even symbolic, as it is to build the labor code of the 21st century. Manuel Valls presented the guidelines of this reform at a press conference at Matignon. Everyone agrees that our labor law has become illegible. So illegible and confused that small businesses are not proficient in the rules and that employees often unaware of their rights.

Recalled Manuel Valls Wednesday November 4, during a press conference, attended by the Minister of Labor, Employment, Vocational Training and Social Dialogue, Myriam El Khomri. The Prime Minister presented the guidelines for the reform of the labor code, whose ambition is twofold.

Allow companies to be better able to adapt to their environment, to be more competitive and thus create more wealth and more jobs. Better protect employees by offering more appropriate guarantees to changes in our economy.

This readability effort has a clear objective: to enable employees and organizations to better identify their rights and the opportunities available to them to adapt to their own constraints. Readability is the condition of the appropriation of flexibilities that may exist.

The proposals are the result of discussions conducted by Myriam El Khomri with the social partners, based on the work of Jean Denis Combrexelle but also illuminated by the contributions of other actors, such as Robert Badinter and Antoine Lyon Caen. They will be a bill, presented in early 2016, whose preparation will also be in dialogue with the social partners, following three main orientations.

A mission of defining the principles entrusted to Robert Badinter and meet as soon this month personalities whose expertise and authority are unanimously recognized, will issue its finding by January. They will be included in the bill that will be presented in early 2016. From there, a labor law overhaul commission will be set up. It was she who organize rewriting code with a maturity of two years. Composed of judges and qualified individuals  lawyers, academics, social relations practitioners - it will report regularly on its work to the social partners.

35 hours week: The law shall guarantee the legal duration of working time. But without waiting for 2016, the new architecture will be applied to the specific area of working time. He had to speed on this, because the changes in the labor market, particularly with the rise of digital, render the increasingly blurred boundaries between personal and professional lives, said Manuel Valls. The law will continue to ensure principles, including that of the legal 35 hours per week and payment for overtime beyond.