Daimler looks to skirt France's 35-hour workweek

Thu, Aug 13 2015

Daimler has a brewing labor battle at its Smart factory in Hambach, France, over just how long the workweek should be. Under a French law enacted in 2000, workers are only required to be on the job 35 hours per week, but recent tweaks to the rule allow for companies to negotiate more flexibility. Now, the automaker is asking employees for 39 hours weekly in exchange for six euros ($6.70) per hour more during the extra time and a one-time bonus of 1,000 euros ($1,117), according to Bloomberg.

The plant's labor union isn't taking kindly to Daimler's offer, though. "It's a way to freeze wages without any guarantees in return," union representative Patrick Hoszkowicz said to Bloomberg. One problem is that the six-euro raise during the four extra hours per week is less than France's 9.61-euro ($10.75) minimum wage. A spokesperson for the automaker countered in the report that the changes increase "competitiveness to ensure viability."

The outcome of the deal could have major effects for Daimler because the Hambach plant is a major production hub for Smart. The automaker spent millions of euros there in 2009 for the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. The factory then received another 200 million euro investment in 2013 to prepare for the brand's latest minicar models.

While a 35-hour week might sound like a dream to many Americans, it's not even truly the norm in France. According to Bloomberg citing Eurostat data, the average full-time worker there is actually on the job 40.5 hours weekly, an hour less than Europe as a whole.

By Chris Bruce