French unions are mobilising for Labour Day on Friday, defending the status of 1 May as a paid day off, as the government pushes to allow some businesses to open. The battle comes as inflation and fuel costs stoke calls for salary increases.
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Labour Day on 1 May holds a unique status in France as the only public holiday that is “férié et chômé” – non-working and paid for almost everyone.
Rooted in the labour movement, Labour Day was declared internationally in 1889 after Chicago’s Haymarket riot, when a bomb killed several people during a strike for an eight-hour working day.
The holiday symbolises respect for workers, and unions view any erosion of it as a threat to broader protections.
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Debate over exemptions
This year’s controversy concerns artisan bakers and florists, some of whom open to sell bread and bouquets of lily of the valley flowers – traditionally given to friends and family on 1 May in France to celebrate the arrival of spring and as a symbol of good luck.
Those who open risk fines from labour inspectors, as current French law permits work on Labour Day only for indispensable activities, such as in hospitals or continuous production.
Courts have rejected automatic exemptions to the mandatory closures for bakers and florists since 2006.
The government wants to clarify this grey area for this year’s holiday without fully rewriting the rules, ahead of introducing a law in 2027 setting formal branch agreements on consent and pay.
It proposes protecting these artisans from penalties in 2026 if staff working on 1 May have volunteered to do so and are paid double time.
When Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou presented a bill on Wednesday concerning the 2027 law, he called for “collective wisdom” the it came to skipping fines this year.
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Economic context
France’s five biggest trade unions, however, reject the bill outright and are demanding strict enforcement of the holiday closure for all but essential services.
On Friday, union leaders including the CGT’s Sophie Binet, the FO’s Frédéric Souillot and the CFDT’s Marylise Léon will lead the traditional May Day marches in Paris, protesting the long-term decline in manufacturing jobs and calling for higher wages.
According to business information portal Altares, in 2025 some 70,000 French businesses failed, affecting 267,000 jobs.
France’s lower income groups are under mounting pressures from a sluggish economy, with growth projected at just 1 percent for 2026 amid geopolitical strain and rising public debt.
Inflation rose to 1.7 percent in March, driven by energy costs soaring by 7.4 percent due to the Middle East conflict. This has hit low-income households hard as costs rise for essentials such as fuel and food.
(with newswires)
