Resistance and Revision

Opposition to the 35-hour week came from predictable quarters—employer associations, center-right politicians, and neoliberal economists—but also from unexpected sources. Skilled professionals and managers, officially exempt from hour restrictions, found themselves working longer to compensate for reduced subordinate availability. Ambitious young workers, particularly in competitive fields like finance and technology, chafed at restrictions on their ability to work longer for higher pay or faster advancement.

The 2002 election of Jacques Chirac and appointment of Jean-Pierre Raffarin as Prime Minister brought immediate efforts to loosen the 35-hour framework. Rather than frontal assault, which would have provoked massive protests, they chose gradual erosion. The Fillon Laws of 2003 increased overtime limits from 130 to 220 hours annually and made overtime pay negotiable at company level rather than fixed by law.

Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 campaign slogan, "Work more to earn more," directly challenged the 35-hour philosophy. His government effectively gutted the law while maintaining its symbolic shell. Overtime became cheaper for employers through reduced social charges and tax-free for workers. The legal working week remained 35 hours, but actual hours crept upward.

The 2008 financial crisis paradoxically reinforced the 35-hour week's survival. While other European countries implemented harsh austerity, French workers used accumulated RTT days and reduced hours to share available work, avoiding mass layoffs. German's successful Kurzarbeit (short-time work) program during the crisis borrowed elements from French working time flexibility.

François Hollande's Socialist government (2012-2017) made no serious attempt to strengthen the 35-hour week, recognizing its political toxicity. Emmanuel Macron, elected on a pro-business platform, has further liberalized overtime rules while avoiding direct confrontation with the symbolic 35-hour threshold. The law remains on the books, but its practical impact varies enormously by sector and company.