Quote from: _act_ on July 22, 2025, 11:13:29 AM

Quote from: slapper on July 22, 2025, 09:27:00 AM

What would you do when your country attempted this? Would you work more days for the same money? Do you believe it does any good?

I have nothing to do and it will not be of any pain for me because I am not a government worker, I have my own business and I have to do it in order to make money. The more I work the more the money I will make. I will rather prefer to stay not saying anything about it.

Quote from: slapper on July 22, 2025, 09:27:00 AM

Or is it just another method of old systems to transfer the pain to ordinary people, and to pretend that things will be better soon?

Yes, they just want to transfer the pain to people. The French government should do something about it and find alternatives instead.

Respect!! Running your own business is the real freedom. Nobody can take your time except your customers and your own ambition. If you can outwork and outsmart the system, that is winning, and not everyone has that option. Why complain if it does not cut into your pocket?

But, this is exactly how governments and old systems get away with dumping pain on everyone else. They count on people who "are not affected" to stay silent. It is divide and rule. Freelancers, business owners, and workers are all kept in their own lanes, so the politicians keep shifting the burden while everyone thinks, "Not my problem". Today it is holidays for public workers. Tomorrow it is another "small" thing: higher VAT, more regulation, or suddenly your customers have less cash to spend. The pain always trickles sideways. If we all shrug and say "not my issue", eventually the squeeze gets everyone, just not at the same time

Quote from: stadus on July 22, 2025, 12:59:14 PM

There’s a law in our country that says benefits already given to workers can’t be taken back, but they can still add more. what’s happening now is the government wants to remove some holidays so people will work more.

I don’t think that really helps workers, especially if they’re already okay with what they’re earning. Those holidays are important too as it’s when they get to spend time with their families. So, a lot of people will definitely complain about it. But if it’s the government’s policy to boost the economy, then it’s tough to go against it. At the end of the day, if we’re employees, we just follow what the law says.

Why do we always have to just "follow the law" when it makes no sense for regular people? If a government can take back time that is already part of our lives, what is stopping them from stealing away more next year, or every year after that?

You might be right, the law might say benefits cannot be taken back, but now they want to change the law when it is convenient for them, not for us. It is always "for the good of the economy", but most of the time, the benefits never actually reach us. Workers are told to do their part, while big bosses and politicians barely feel a thing. It is always the little guy who pays, and families lose out the most

If everyone just goes along because it is "the law", then nothing ever changes. You see, people in France out on the streets or making noise online. If there is one thing I have learned from crypto, it is that rules are only as strong as the people who accept them. When rules get too unfair, people will eventually push back, and it can be hard

Quote from: Haunebu on July 22, 2025, 07:47:03 PM

French are actually some of the luckiest people in the world thanks to a 5 day, 35 hours work week to be honest since majority of the countries make their people work for around 10 hours or more, 5 days a week.

Some countries even make their people work like animals for 7 days a week without any break in between. This is why I get why the French are opposing this bullshit. Who in their right mind wouldn't?

People always joke about the "lazy French" but anyone calling the French soft has never worked a real grind in half the world. Most people out there are breaking their backs for nothing close to a 35-hour week or proper weekends. The French earned their rights through years of fighting, not because the government handed it out for free. Politicians know all this, yet they still try to take away the few protections people have left. If you push French workers too far, you get riots, not quiet acceptance. That is a lesson a lot of governments refuse to learn, probably because in most places, protest gets crushed or ignored

And yeah, "work like animals" is not even an exaggeration. I know people working 10, 12, even 14-hour days, no break, just so they can afford rent and food. No holidays, no respect, no time for family. Meanwhile, those at the top treat time off like a luxury for "rich" countries only. What a joke!

Quote from: happybitcoinph on July 22, 2025, 08:16:07 PM

Why are others here focusing on "people to work more for less" as stated in the thread subject? It's just part of the proposed plan for spending cuts, as they are aiming to improve the country's budget deficit in the following years.

Besides, it's only 2 public holidays there that will be affected, and the reasons for selecting those are reasonable for me. Like for example, Easter Monday in France is a public holiday. In my country, there's no Easter Monday holiday. The long weekend is surely enough from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday. No need to extend it on Monday and make it a working day instead.

Please read the article and don't focus on the thread title. It won't be a harm at all if only 2 public holidays are cut the entire year. The selection criteria is even great as only holidays that extend after the weekend are considered.

It is easy to say when you're not the one losing them, and when your country never had them in the first place. But to most French people, those are the way life structured. They are tied to family, tradition, and, yeah, mental health. You cut that, and you are telling millions that their time isn't valuable

And about "budget deficit logic", the government's plan is always about making a show for markets and ratings agencies, not really fixing the roots of the problem. The numbers even say so: the money saved from these two holidays is less than 10% of what they need, and it is almost cancelled out by increased military spending. How does that make sense? If it is just numbers, then why does almost 90% of the population say "no". Are they all dumb, or is there something deeper you are missing?

It is not about "Holy Thursday" or "Easter Monday" in isolation. When the state starts with small things, something you call "no big deal", that is how people learn their voice does not count. You might not care about a Monday off, but for a single parent, a low-wage worker, or someone who plans their whole year around rare family time, it matters a lot. If you do not see it, maybe it is not about overreacting. Maybe it is about having a different life experience

It is easy to say when you're not the one losing them, and when your country never had them in the first place. But to most French people, those are the way life structured. They are tied to family, tradition, and, yeah, mental health. You cut that, and you are telling millions that their time isn't valuable

And about "budget deficit logic", the government's plan is always about making a show for markets and ratings agencies, not really fixing the roots of the problem. The numbers even say so: the money saved from these two holidays is less than 10% of what they need, and it is almost cancelled out by increased military spending. How does that make sense? If it is just numbers, then why does almost 90% of the population say "no". Are they all dumb, or is there something deeper you are missing?

It is not about "Holy Thursday" or "Easter Monday" in isolation. When the state starts with small things, something you call "no big deal", that is how people learn their voice does not count. You might not care about a Monday off, but for a single parent, a low-wage worker, or someone who plans their whole year around rare family time, it matters a lot. If you do not see it, maybe it is not about overreacting. Maybe it is about having a different life experience