There's no doubting the scale of the economic problems facing Nicholas Sarkozy. France's unemployment rate hasn't fallen below 8 percent in a quarter of a century and its economic growth rate during 2006 was the slowest of any nation in the European Union, except Portugal. But the new President has promised change.
He wants to make it easier for businesses to hire and fire workers. Anyone who rejects a job offer will lose their unemployment benefit. The civil service will be slimmed down to help fund big tax cuts for both businesses and individuals. And any time the French work above the thirty-five hour week will be completely tax free.
These measures won't go down well with trade unions - who in the past have organised campaigns of open defiance to force French presidents with plans for painful reform to back down. But Mr. Sarkozy has made it an election pledge that unions will no longer be able to bring the country to a standstill. Workers in key areas like public transport will face new requirements to provide minimum levels of service even during strikes. The unions may not like it - but the new President's entire programme of reform depends on his winning any standoff.
a quarter of a century
twenty-five years - a century is one hundred years
hire and fire
employ and sack or dismiss from a job, e.g. because of poor work, bad behaviour or lack of money within the business
unemployment benefit
money that's paid to people to live on until they find a job
slimmed down
reduced, here, made up of a smaller number of people
won't go down well
will not be popular, seen as positive, easily accepted
open defiance
obvious disobedience, very public refusals to cooperate
to back down
to change their minds, discontinue their plans
to bring the country to a standstill
to completely stop the country from functioning normally
reform
planned changes for improvement
standoff
a tense time during which all negotiations have come to a stop and neither side will compromise