A bakery in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, November 2022. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP
Bakers and florists will be allowed to open on Labor Day, Friday, May 1. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the measure on Friday, April 17, saying it would apply only to members of those two professions who meet several specific conditions. He also said that a bill on the matter will be submitted by the end of the month. It will not be debated in Parliament for several weeks, but if all goes as the government hopes, it will establish a legal framework that takes effect in 2027.
The announcement came after a confused controversy over a separate bill on the same issue, which was supposed to be debated in the Assemblée Nationale on April 10 but was dropped by the government on Monday. Lecornu set that text aside because it had a much broader scope, covering cultural venues and local food shops like butchers. "The government has regained control," Lecornu said on Friday.
The decision ultimately applies only to bakers and florists operating in an "artisan" and "independent" manner – two terms that will be defined through discussions within the relevant professions. Employers in those sectors will be able to ask employees to work on May 1, provided the employees volunteer and are paid double.
