On Tuesday, another labor strike in protest of retirement reforms in France brought transportation services to a standstill and restricted the supply of gasoline. Critics have suggested laziness amongst French workers as the motivation for these protests, citing the generous benefits workers enjoy such as five weeks of vacation time, thirty-five-hour work weeks, and the "right to disconnect" from work communication after working hours. However, French workers are frustrated with this perception given that research shows the country's high productivity levels and subsequent high burnout levels. Those protesting the French government's plan to raise the retirement age argue that this policy will disparately impact blue-collar workers. Workers also point to deteriorating work conditions unaligned with French labor law and culture as some companies have begun to increase the monitoring of employees to drive higher performance.
See "As labor strikes continue throughout France, workers argue the legitimacy of their resistance to the country's retirement reform plans", Rick Noack, The Washington Post, March 7, 2023