The French are rioting again. This is nothing new, so why are they rioting this time?

Police brutality? No.

Labor regulation? Not this time.

Because 2 teens died from reckless driving? No, but that did happen.

Labor reforms? Na, not this time.

Over-aggressive partying in the month of May? Ha! They do seem to like rioting.

Labor, yet again? Ugh- No.

Wealth disparity? Nope, but guillotines are probably getting sharpened.

Well, why dammit?! Pension Reform…

They’re rioting over the retirement age being raised from 62 to 64 years of age. Not only that, but the French are even more upset at how their government used dictatorial powers to pass this unpopular legislation, superseding the representative vote.

The French people are showing their anger with strikes, protests, and riots because their idyllic lifestyle is changing a tiny bit. They’re throwing a tantrum because they may have to work at their cushy job for an extra 2 years before retiring.

What’s work like for the French that makes them dread working a couple extra years?

• Unlike the USA, their wages are heavily regulated and protected.
• Most French workers get paid lunches.
• They have 35-hour work weeks[1].
• French workers are entitled to days off for the weddings and deaths of immediate family members (child, partner, parent, or sibling)[2].
• They are required to have a minimum of 5 weeks of paid vacation per year!
• It’s a lot harder for them to get fired.
• If they are terminated, they’re entitled to severance pay[3] and unemployment benefits.

The French should be grateful they don’t work here in the United States of America. Most US workers can only dream of such wonderous working conditions.  

• When was the last time you worked any less than 40 hours a week? I don’t know about you, but I can barely get away for lunch!
• They are entitled to a minimum of 5 weeks paid vacation. That’s a minimum! When was the last time you had a vacation? Did your boss try to force you to cancel that vacation after you spent thousands of dollars on airfare and reservations? Did you still have a job when you got back?
• If your child dies here in the USA, most employers will ask if you’re still coming in on time.
• They get severance pay? You mean to tell me they get a golden parachute if they lose their job… and they aren’t CEOs!?

Oh my gosh! The French truly have cushy jobs and they’re bitching about having to “endure” 2 additional years before retiring.

How could this have been avoided?

All the riots and civil unrest in France related to their pensions was avoidable. If the French government had good sense, they could have easily avoided the problem of extending the pension age. All they have to do is reduce money from their military budget and reallocate those funds to the pension program.

France has historically performed poorly in most wars for over 100 years now. Germany conquered a lot of French territory in World War I, but lost it to the Coalition. During World War II, France was conquered outright and the Allies had to rescue and liberate the country.

After the Second World War, most of the wars France emerged as “victorious” include: coalition efforts and/or conflicts against non-national opponents (uprisings, insurgents, terrorists). Since World War II, France has participated in about 30 conflicts, and individually was the victor of 1 ½ of those wars^[4]. Of the 2 conflicts the country fought 1-on-1 with another nation, France barely has a 50% win-rate.

Their military is next to useless and can barely perform adequately within their own territory, so stop wasting money on it. Spend that money on the people by investing in social entitlement programs. France’s best defense strategy should be to spoil its people even more than they already are.

The next time France surrenders to a national enemy, the people will revolt when they’re forced to do actual work.

Vive la révolution!

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[1] LawTeacher. (2019, May 31). Comparison Between USA and France Employment. Retrieved from LawTeacher Free Law Study Resources: https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/employment-law/comparison-between-usa-and-france-employment-employment-law-essay.php#citethis

[2] Wickersham, P. (n.d.). Everything you need to know about employee benefits in France. Retrieved from Remote: https://remote.com/blog/france-employee-benefits#what-are-employee-benefits-like-in-france

[3] Safeguard Global. (2021, September 21). Terminating an employee in France. Retrieved from Safeguard Global: https://www.safeguardglobal.com/resources/blog/terminating-an-employee-in-france#:~:text=Calculate%20severance%20pay,regardless%20of%20the%20employee’s%20seniority

[4] Wikipedia. (n.d.). List of wars involving France. Retrieved from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_France