AFPThe French government will begin Tuesday a final round of talks with trade unions and employer groups on liberalising the country's strict labour laws, taking President Emmanuel Macron a step closer to implementing one of his signature reforms. Injecting more flexibility into France's labour market was one of the central planks of Macron's election campaign, part of his bid to drive down unemployment of 9.5 percent. On Tuesday, the labour ministry will present a first draft of the changes to the Medef employers federation, followed later in the week by trade unions. While companies will, for instance, find it easier to lay off staff during a downturn, jobless workers will receive higher payouts. In attempting to revise France's highly protective labour laws Macron is treading on a political minefield.

Source: The Local August 22, 2017 12:11 UTC