Everyone cross

摘要

Lorry drivers, the staff of the Paris metro, hospital workers, teachers, Air France ground-staff, postmen, local tax officials, even the national labour exchange: a large and ungrateful number of France's workforce this week greeted the implementation on February ist of a shorter working week by going on strike or otherwise engagi ng in what the French call a "social movement". And the pre-emptive reaction of Martine Aubry, France's labour minister? "Conflict is necessary to get things done. Sometimes you need it to unblock a situation."