French Prime Minister Criticized for "Unnecessary Political Show" After Visiting Bakery on Labor Day – Why?

Promoting Expanded Business Permits for Bakeries and Flower Shops Beyond Essential Sectors
Labor Groups: "Principles Must Not Be Compromised... An Unnecessary Political Show"

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu faced fierce criticism from labor groups after visiting a bakery that was open for business on Labor Day.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited a bakery in the small town of Saint-Julien-Chapteuil in central France on Labor Day, May 1st, where he purchased a baguette and also stopped by a flower shop to buy a few flowers, facing backlash from labor groups. Photo by AFP Yonhap News Agency

On May 1 (local time), international news outlets including the BBC reported that Prime Minister Lecornu visited a bakery in the small town of Saint-Julien-Chapteuil in central France, where he purchased a baguette, and also stopped by a flower shop to buy a few flowers. According to French broadcaster BFTV and others, Lecornu personally called the bakery, which had been fined 5,250 euros (about 910,000 won) for making an employee work on Labor Day, a statutory public holiday, and told them, "You do not have to pay the fine."

French law has, for over 80 years, allowed only essential service sectors such as hospitals and hotels to operate on Labor Day as an exception, and mandates that employees working that day are paid double wages. Previously, the French government submitted a bill to parliament to reduce the number of businesses required to close on Labor Day and allow those closely connected to daily life to remain open. According to the government proposal, employees working on Labor Day must provide written confirmation that they have voluntarily chosen to work, and they must receive double pay for that day.

Some interpret Prime Minister Lecornu's recent actions as an effort to promote the government's plan to expand business operation permissions to include bakeries, flower shops, and similar sectors. This move is a response to requests from small business owners in these industries, who have long petitioned to be allowed to operate on Labor Day without being fined, citing the essential nature of bread in the French diet and the tradition of exchanging lilies of the valley on Labor Day.

This is not the first time such a policy has been pursued. Former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal attempted to introduce a bill in 2024 that would allow employees at businesses including restaurants, cinemas, and other cultural facilities to work on Labor Day, but the plan was scrapped due to resistance from labor unions.

In response, French labor organizations criticized the proposal, stating, "Employers, as the dominant party in employment contracts, can in effect force employees to work," and warned, "Starting with this bill, the scope of Labor Day work may gradually expand, eventually pushing all workers into working on public holidays."

When the proposal to expand Labor Day work was submitted last month, French unions issued a joint statement, pointing out, "The history of society shows that as soon as principles are compromised, exceptions steadily increase until they become the rule." Marylise Leon, Secretary General of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT), remarked, "Politicians going to bakeries is nothing more than an unnecessary political show for us today."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.