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Article: Power without responsibility; French trade unions.(France's surprisingly low trade union membership)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- April 29, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The trade unions have won a victory, but their strength is still declining
"IN REALITY, the problem in our country is not that we have too powerful unions, but that they are too fragmented and too small." After the capitulation by the French government to student and union-led protests against its labour reforms, such a statement might seem surprising. It was made recently by Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and head of the ruling centre-right UMP party--and he has a point. Despite their show of strength, France's trade unions are a declining force.
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