Riviera Reporter
Riviera Reporter
THE FRENCH RIVIERA'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE
THE FRENCH RIVIERA'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE

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France seeks help from allies to bolster security during Paris Olympics
France seeks help from allies to bolster security during Paris Olympics France has asked its foreign allies to send several thousand members of their security forces to help guard the Paris Olympics, officials said Thursday, underlining the strains caused by the sporting extravaganza which begins in July.
Podcast: France-Russia relations, hair discrimination, tax history
Podcast: France-Russia relations, hair discrimination, tax history How France's new hardline position on Russia marks a major shift away from decades of pro-Russia policies. The fight to make hair discrimination illegal. And why VAT – a tax introduced 70 years ago – is so important to French finances, despite being deeply unequal.
France takes down fake website inviting volunteers to 'enlist in Ukraine'
France takes down fake website inviting volunteers to 'enlist in Ukraine' French authorities have uncovered a website containing a fake recruitment drive for French volunteers to join the war in Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Thursday.
Off the deep end: France's love of swimming pools
Off the deep end: France's love of swimming pools With more than 3 million private swimming pools, France has more "piscines" than any other nation in Europe. We find out why the sector has been booming for years and how the government is using AI to crack down on illegal pools. We also look into the challenges, benefits and...
Why are we changing the clocks on Easter Sunday? Daylight Saving Time is set to commence on 31st March at 2am, the same day as Easter Sunday, which has come particularly early this year. We explain the reasoning behind both.
Sport, innovation and philanthropy to unite at first-ever Padel Best Expo The fresh new concept from Italian company BSG is essentially a celebration of all things Padel, a sport experiencing rapid international growth and a boom in popularity, through a blend of competitions, networking opportunities, exhibitions and social impact initiatives.
Exclusive: Mayor Flavio Di Muro discusses Ventimiglia’s renaissance powered by Monaco’s investments In an exclusive interview with Monaco Life, Mayor Flavio Di Muro discusses Ventimiglia’s incredible transformation from border town to luxurious international hub, powered by strategic investments from neighbouring Monaco.
Fluoroquinolones: Inquest into controversial antibiotic with serious side effects begins The investigation into fluoroquinolones was launched following a series of worrying patient reports about the side effects they had suffered. These include heart problems, neurological disorders and damage to nerves and tendons.

The French Riviera's English Language Magazine

Shirkers’ Paradise - The French ambition to become a fonctionnaire

shirkerA discouraging statistic for Nicolas Sarkozy is that instead of longing for the bracing air of a full market economy some 76 per cent of young French, aged 15 to 24, admitted in a recent survey that their ambition was to become a fonctionnaire, an employee of local or national government. Presumably, those who don’t share this desire have emigrated to the UK. Of course, the appeal of the civil service is obvious enough.

Once given established status, an employee has security plus longer holidays and earlier retirement than those in the private sector. And, if you’re a savvy character, you don’t have to do too much for your money. That was made notoriously clear not long ago by Corinne Meier, an employee of EDF, whose book Bonjour Paresse was a handbook explaining to civil servants “the art of doing as little as possible in the workplace”. Basically it boiled down to looking busy (always carry a fat file) and saying one was busy. That’s the way to be left in peace ... and probably promoted.

Meier’s bosses, her colleagues and the civil service unions were enraged by her book but now the cushy world of the fonctionnaires is under attack again. A senator, Philippe Marini, has presented a report to an official committee giving a devastating account of levels of absenteeism in the civil service. The average length of time off the job in a given year is 17 working days. That’s twice the time in the private sector and costs national and local government some 11 billion euros annually. The total working hours lost are the equivalent of a 100,000 jobs! Marini doesn’t mince his words: “Of course, people get sick but there’s extensive abuse of the system. The trouble is in these jobs there’s poor human resources management and unwillingness to crack down on shirkers. There’s got to be a change.” On verra ...