Work More, Earn More! (Musical Tribute)

Le Paris flambé
Once more Nicolas Sarkozy has faced rioting in the French suburbs

Even so, the two biggest problems in these neighbourhoods remain. The first is the failure of the French economy to create enough jobs. Unemployment in what officialdom coyly calls “sensitive urban areas” is twice the national average; on the worst estates, it can hit 40%. Mr Sarkozy wants to loosen the labour market to encourage job creation, but negotiations with unions are still in progress.

The second is the tense relationship between the police and local youths. France is hamstrung by a sterile debate between left and right over policing. The left insists that things have deteriorated since neighbourhood policing was dismantled, and blames the right for its more heavy-handed approach. Mr Sarkozy insists that earlier methods were too lax, treating policemen like social workers not law-enforcement officers. He prefers a strong hand to clamp down on criminality.

How do you compete in a world where billions will work for less? Work more, earn more!

Sarkozy Says `Work More, Earn More' to Spur Spending (Update1)
Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he wants to give companies the freedom to swap the end of the 35-hour working week for higher pay, aiming to spur economic growth without widening the budget deficit.



The French president said employees should be able to work on Sundays on a voluntary basis for double pay. Employees in the public and private sectors should also be able to trade holiday time for cash, and he pledged to increase overtime pay for civil servants.

He said he will back legislation pushing price cuts in large supermarkets, without elaborating. Sarkozy also said growth in rents will be capped by inflation rather than a construction cost index, saying this will halve rent increases.