Posted by Tom Gill

France’s ‘rigid’ labour market: Manuel Valls should get his facts right

Manuel VallsThe French Prime Minister has revived the idea that the French labour market is overly protective of permanent employees. However, international comparisons show that this is not the case, argues Duval Guillaume

The functioning of the labour market is not satisfactory because it is not creating enough jobs, it generates significant inequalities between highly protected employees on permanent contracts and very precarious workers on fixed term  and agency contracts. We need to take action on this.”

So French prime minister Manuel Valls told France’s weekly magazine Nouvel Observateur on 22 October. Continue reading →

Podemos is Spain’s 3rd political force, and poll gives radical left 26% in total

Camiseta Pablo Iglesias PODEMOSAn opinion poll puts the radical new formation Podemos (We Can) in third position with 15% of people surveyed indicating backing for the party led by the ponytailed 35-year-old university lecturer Pablo Iglesias.

Pollster CIS found that 15% of people supported Podemos, almost double the 8% the fourth-month old party garnered in the European elections, and ahead of the traditional force of the radical left, Izquierda Unida, with 11%.The ruling Popular Party (PP) and the Socialists (PSOE) both scored 24.4% compared to 26.06% and 23% respectively in the elections to the European parliament. Continue reading →

EU, the Grand Coalition and austerity. Where does Italy’s Renzi stand?

renzi-merkel-baraldiThe choice of Juncker as the next president of the European Commission is in total continuity with the harmful policies of rigor imposed in recent years by the Troika. The Italian prime minister on the one hand seems to beat his fists against the diktats of Berlin, on the other hand make us believe – mistakenly – that more flexibility in the Stability Pact is enough to improve the situation. There will only be a break with destructive austerity if Matteo Renzi acquires courage and awareness of the impossibility of proceeding with the current rules

Failing improbable twists and gentlemen, the Christian Democrat of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker will be the next president of the European Commission. The appointment, to be confirmed by the European parliament 15 July, took place on 28 June at the end of the European Council, with Hungary and much more seriously, Great Britain voting against.

Juncker as president of the Commission will not be good news. And certainly not for the reason maliciously advanced by the British tabloid the Sun, and promptly repurposed by the German equivalent Bild, which is the presumed nominee for President has an inclination for alcohol. Continue reading →

Spain’s socialists pick new leader on road to nowhere

psoe-roto-224x300Spain’s opposition Socialists will elect a new leader on Sunday, in a an effort to reverse the party’s dramatic electoral decline and head off the challenge from new and existing parties to its left.

After seven years in government, the Socialists were ousted by the right wing Popular Party in a landslide general election in 2011.

Since, the party has continued to lose support. In an unprecedented electoral disaster the Socialist Workers’ party of Spain (PSOE) garnered  just 23% down from 39% five years ago in the May European Parliament elections.

The result gave rise to fears of yet another heavy defeat in next year’s general election. Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, the party leader who was part of the party’s old guard, having served under Jose Luis Zapatero and before him Felipe Gonzalez, announced his resignation to make way for fresh blood at the top. Continue reading →

94 reasons why French trade unions have boycotted Hollande’s job summit

Francois HollandeFrançois Hollande’s jobs summit is becoming a farce. Unemployment in France has risen to a new high of 3.4 million. The socialist President is desperate to be seen to be doing something about it. But Monday yet another union walked out of the two day ‘social summit’, an unprecedented desertion by organised labour for any administration in Paris, let alone one with a centre left political colour.

The CGT and FO, no.1 and no.3 respectively in terms of size, had already decided on Monday to boycott the summit. Solidaires didn’t turn up at all. And now teaching union FSU has told the government where to get off. Continue reading →