 |
French workers at one hospital accumulate two million vacation days
 |
By Jordan Chittley | Daily Buzz
Canadians often complain about not having enough vacation time - a valid complaint considering many receive only two or three weeks a year.
But workers at one French public hospital definitely don't have that problem. They have accumulated more than two million days off in the past decade, reports NPR. That's 5, 479 years of vacation time.
They were able to do this because French employees get at least five weeks of leave per year plus they receive credit for working more than 35 hours in a week.
Employees by law are required to take the overtime before the end of 2012, but that would result in closing hospitals. The government is working with unions to find a solution.
"For the last decade we haven't been able to take all of our days off because we don't have enough personnel to fill in. And those who work are overwhelmed," said Josiane Desmettre, a nurse's aide, to NPR. "So the days keep building up and some people literally have hundreds to take."
For some including President Nicolas Sarkozy, the short work week is the reason for most of France's economic problems. Since 2007, he has been trying to convince citizens they will have to work more, but they will also earn more.
"I am not trying to provoke anyone," he said. "I tell you this because it is a pure fact - lowering retirement age to 60 and the 35-hour work week were serious mistakes that we are still paying heavily for...We must repair these errors."
Critics of Sarkozy point to the fact all European countries plus many others around the world including the U.S. are facing similar economic problems and the problem is lack of investment and innovation.
"The last innovation that we've given to the world is probably the high-speed train back in the 1970's," said Olivier Ferrard, the head of the left-leaning think tank Terra Nova, to NPR. "So, we should invest in the financing of innovation and in higher education, which we don't."
While Sarkozy points to the lack of working as a problem, he is not in a great place to take it on. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 29 per cent of people approve of the job Sarkozy is doing and he is heading into an election this year.
He won't seem to be winning voters by asking them to work more as a recent poll shows 57 per cent don't want to give up the short work week, no matter what the result is on the economy.
For Desmettre, she likes the short week and said it makes her life better.
"It's nice to have the extra days to spend with my kids," said told NPR. "I want to raise them right. I didn't have them so I could give them to someone else to take care of."
507 page views
|
|
|
|