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【City Journal】Paris should relax law against businesses opening on Sundays
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Belleville, on Sundays, is a study in contrast. The Paris neighborhood is populated mostly by Chinese immigrants from Wenzhou, a coastal city known for its entrepreneurial spirit. Most Paris neighborhoods on Sundays are quiet. But Belleville's "rues" and boulevards are bustling. Shops, bars and restaurants are packed. And finding a parking space can be an exercise in managing frustration. Chinese immigrants seem just too busy to care about another debate in the French media over the 35-hour workweek and the Sunday trading ban. Why bother? Working on Sundays does not seem to be a problem for Chinese immigrants who are more than happy to make extra money whenever there is an opportunity. They have seen their businesses flourish by navigating France's rigid and complex labor laws, which exempt some businesses from the Sunday trading ban. Although the French authorities seem to have given Chinese business owners in Belleville a tacit "oui", most French retailers and stores except those in tourist areas are still strictly forbidden from opening on Sundays and after 9 pm on weekdays. But now some French stores are starting to rebel against the century-old law portrayed by proponents as a cherished French tradition of equality and a symbol of the country's quality of life despite the fact that they may face a fine of 60,000 euros ($82,500). Two French home-improvement chain stores, Castorama and Leroy Merlin, have just won the right to remain open on Sundays. Many consider it a landmark ruling, which could set a precedent. Public opinion is also turning toward the idea of working on Sunday as 63 percent of French citizens said they are willing to work on Sundays, while 80 percent of respondents think that the government should let businesses open on Sundays as long as it is on a voluntary basis, according to a survey by French newspaper Le Figaro. At a time of prolonged economic stagnation and high unemployment, the argument for maintaining the French quality of life is becoming increasingly untenable. Unemployment in France hit a record high in September with 3.29 million registered jobseekers. Forcing businesses to close on Sundays would only make matters worse as it would mean that owners might be forced to lay off employees. It is obvious that the Sunday trading ban results in slashed profits for business owners, workers facing the risk of losing jobs, and inconveniences for consumers. The retail sector currently employs roughly 1.7 million people and it is one of the few sectors doing relatively well. I have seen many Chinese tourists disappointed to find their favorite Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores are closed on Sunday. Perhaps the challenge of overturning a long-standing trading rule lies in altering a deep-rooted French social model where Sundays are reserved for leisure. And it is just not something that the Socialist Party would do. But the harder truth is that the enviable French lifestyle is perhaps coming to an end, and people have to accept the reality of working longer hours and a lower quality of life. Francois Hollande, the French president and socialist leader, has said that all options are on the table to tackle unemployment and that concerted efforts will be made before the end of the year. But time is running out. Why not start with relaxing the Sunday trading ban by giving businesses owners more flexibility and workers more freedom to work longer hours? Lifestyle is more than taking time off. It can also mean working longer and getting paid more. |
周日的巴黎“美麗城”獨(dú)具一格。這處巴黎街區(qū)大部分的居民是來自以創(chuàng)業(yè)精神聞名的中國沿海城市--溫州的中國移民。 周末,巴黎的街道都很安靜。但是美麗城的大街小巷可是熙熙攘攘。商店、酒吧和餐廳都擠滿了人。要找到一個停車位可謂是飽受挫折。 中國移民看起來太忙了,顧不上關(guān)心法國媒體又一場關(guān)于35小時工作周和周日交易禁令的辯論。 為什么要煩心?對于中國移民來說,周日工作不成問題。只要有機(jī)會,他們更樂意多掙些錢。 法國法律嚴(yán)格而復(fù)雜,但是在周日交易禁令中豁免了部分企業(yè)。中國移民通過鉆這個法律空子,使自己的企業(yè)蒸蒸日上。 盡管法國當(dāng)局看似給美麗城的中國企業(yè)家暗中開了“綠燈”,但是,除了在旅游區(qū),大多數(shù)法國零售商和商店仍然被嚴(yán)令禁止在周日和工作日晚上9點(diǎn)以后營業(yè)。 但是,現(xiàn)在一些法國商店開始抗議這個支持者口中代表了法國寶貴的平等傳統(tǒng)并象征了法國生活質(zhì)量的百年老法,盡管他們抗議的代價是6萬歐元的罰金。 卡斯托拉瑪(Castorama)和樂華梅蘭(Leroy Merlin)兩家家裝連鎖店剛被允許在周日開業(yè)。許多人認(rèn)為這是一個具有里程碑意義的裁決,開創(chuàng)了法國法律歷史上的先例。 公眾輿論也正在向周日工作的想法靠攏。據(jù)法國《費(fèi)加羅報》的調(diào)查顯示,63%的法國居民表示他們愿意在周日工作,80%的被調(diào)查人認(rèn)為政府應(yīng)該允許企業(yè)在自愿的基礎(chǔ)上在周日營業(yè)。 在長時間的經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條和高失業(yè)率的當(dāng)下,保持法國人的生活質(zhì)量顯然更不可能了。9月,法國失業(yè)率又創(chuàng)新高,注冊求職者達(dá)到329萬。 強(qiáng)制周日休業(yè)只會使事態(tài)更加糟糕,這意味著老板被逼著要辭退員工。很明顯,周日交易禁令導(dǎo)致了企業(yè)主利潤的減少,工人們面臨著失業(yè)的風(fēng)險,這也會給消費(fèi)者帶來種種不便。 零售業(yè)目前大約有170萬員工,是為數(shù)不多的運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)相對較好的行業(yè)之一。 我已經(jīng)看到很多中國旅客失望地看到他們最愛的老佛爺百貨公司(Galeries Lafayette)和巴黎春天百貨公司(Printemps department stores)在周日休業(yè)。 要推翻存在已久的交易規(guī)則的一大挑戰(zhàn),大概就是要改變根深蒂固的“周日就是休閑日”的法國社會模式。而且法國社會黨是不會去完成這一挑戰(zhàn)的。 而更嚴(yán)酷的事實是,令人羨慕的法國生活方式或許即將走到盡頭。人們不得不接受要工作更長時間、生活水平更低的事實。 法國總統(tǒng)及社會黨領(lǐng)袖弗朗索瓦·奧朗德說,我們已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好了解決失業(yè)問題的所有辦法,今年年底之前我們將齊心協(xié)力解決問題。 但是時間正在慢慢流逝。為什么政府不以放寬周日交易禁令為開端,給企業(yè)家們更多的伸展空間,給工人更多加班的自由呢? 生活方式不只休息一種。工作時間更長、賺錢更多,這也是一種生活方式。 相關(guān)閱讀 【都市漫談】中國游客緊湊的歐洲行程無法領(lǐng)略比利時布魯塞爾的魅力 (《中國日報》記者李想報道,翻譯:王怡婷) |
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