This week’s global news
French conditions up
Nearly 60 per cent of French workers say working conditions have improved
since the government introduced the 35-hour week last year, Global HR reports.
But nearly a third say there has been no change, and13 per cent claim they have
got worse. Managers, especially female ones, are more likely to be satisfied
with the change than non-qualified staff. The report interviewed over 1,600
French staff.
Euro job loss protests
A protest has erupted in Europe over alleged failure to consult the
work-force over job cuts. Staff at Spanish Breweries, run by the
Netherlands-based Heineken, held a national strike against planned job losses.
Productivity drop in US
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US figures reveal that labour productivity showed a surprise fall in the
first quarter of this year, the first drop for six years. The Labour Department
said the non-agricultural output per employee fell at rate of 0.1 per cent in
the first three months of this year, compared to a 2 per cent rise in the last
quarter of 2000.
