Non CPE!

The riots in France this month are about a new labor law that is scheduled to become effective this week. According to current French law, employers cannot terminate an employee without cause. The new law, which is called the CPE (Contrat Premier Embauche," allows employers to fire newly hired employees without any cause and without severance pay as long as the new employee is under the age of 26 and has worked for the company for less than two years.
The law is supposed to encourage employers to take on new hires. The current unemployment rate for people under the age of 26 is 24% in France, compared to the national average of 10%. Employers are reluctant to hire new employees because the current laws make it very difficult to scale-back a workforce once it has been increased. This new law will make it easier for employers to eliminate any new employees they take on. The idea is that employers will risk hiring young employees because they can always fire them later on.
Obviously the students and unions are outraged and have taken to the streets in classic French style.