The French government has temporarily abandoned a proposed law that would have allowed certain job sectors to operate on the traditional May Day holiday. Welcomed by trade unions and the left, the move has been heavily criticised by centrist and right-wing MPs.
Issued on: 14/04/2026 RFI
The proposed law wanted to lift restrictions on working on 1 May, including in bakeries. ASSOCIATED PRESS - CHRISTOPHE ENA
“The government is aware of the particular sensitivity of this issue,” said labour minister Jean-Pierre Farandou on Monday evening, following a meeting with trade union reps.
“It is Workers’ Day – the only public holiday that is a paid day off. This general principle must continue to prevail, even if certain exemptions are possible.”
The bill proposed to allow employees in shops such as bakeries, greengrocers, florists and butchers, as well as in cultural venues such as cinemas and theatres, to work on 1st May provided they volunteer.
Currently, only sectors that cannot be interrupted – such as hospitals, hotels, cafes, food stores and transport – can open on 1st May and all employees are paid double. Shop owners can open but cannot ask their staff to work.
The government was due to summon a joint parliamentary committee of MPs and senators this week to draft a bill to enable parliament to adopt the legislation in time for this year's public holiday.
But following an outcry from unions and threats by left-wing parties to bring a motion of no-confidence before parliament, the government agreed to put the proposed legislation on hold.
Farandou said the aim was to find a solution “before 1 May 2027 to address the current legal uncertainty”.
The government will now put forward "short- and medium-term" proposals for local shopkeepers who wish to employ staff on 1 May, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday evening, adding that he would receive affected sectors "as early as this week".
The right to work, or not to work
The bill had angered French trade unions, for whom the right not to work on May 1st, introduced in 1948, is sacrosanct.
Union leaders welcomed the government’s decision. Sophie Binet, head of the hard left CGT union, said the minister had “heard the warnings of trade unions”.
Cyril Chabanier, president of the reformist CFTC union said it marked both a victory and “a return to reason”.
“We were able to agree that there is no real economic case for opening on 1 May," he said. "It will not change France’s GDP. Purchasing power is improved through dynamic wage negotiations – not by working on a public holiday."
The hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) warned that “although we have obtained assurances that this law will not be enforced in 2026, vigilance and mobilisation remain crucial”.
The President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, criticised the government for having “had a year to negotiate with the trade unions regarding work on 1 May and failing to do so”, describing the failure as “symptomatic” of the lack of consultation in France.
Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, head of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance group in parliament, and who had pushed for the loosening of France's employment legislation, criticised the decision to drop the bill saying the government has "not kept its commitments".
In a social media post, the head of the conservative Republicans party, Bruno Retailleau wrote: "Once again, faced with pressure from unions and the left, the executive is backing down. France needs political courage, not repeated capitulations”.
Macron’s party calls for further easing Sunday work laws
Lecornu leads a fragile government, with no clear majority in the lower house. Appointed as prime minister in September 2025, he resigned after just 26 days, before being reappointed by Macron the following month. His mission was to end the political crisis and restore stability following Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024.
"The government wants in-depth social dialogue with social partners... reforms are possible: with respect and a methodical approach," the prime minister wrote on X.
“It is Workers’ Day – the only public holiday that is a paid day off. This general principle must continue to prevail, even if certain exemptions are possible.”
The bill proposed to allow employees in shops such as bakeries, greengrocers, florists and butchers, as well as in cultural venues such as cinemas and theatres, to work on 1st May provided they volunteer.
Currently, only sectors that cannot be interrupted – such as hospitals, hotels, cafes, food stores and transport – can open on 1st May and all employees are paid double. Shop owners can open but cannot ask their staff to work.
The government was due to summon a joint parliamentary committee of MPs and senators this week to draft a bill to enable parliament to adopt the legislation in time for this year's public holiday.
But following an outcry from unions and threats by left-wing parties to bring a motion of no-confidence before parliament, the government agreed to put the proposed legislation on hold.
Farandou said the aim was to find a solution “before 1 May 2027 to address the current legal uncertainty”.
The government will now put forward "short- and medium-term" proposals for local shopkeepers who wish to employ staff on 1 May, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday evening, adding that he would receive affected sectors "as early as this week".
The right to work, or not to work
The bill had angered French trade unions, for whom the right not to work on May 1st, introduced in 1948, is sacrosanct.
Union leaders welcomed the government’s decision. Sophie Binet, head of the hard left CGT union, said the minister had “heard the warnings of trade unions”.
Cyril Chabanier, president of the reformist CFTC union said it marked both a victory and “a return to reason”.
“We were able to agree that there is no real economic case for opening on 1 May," he said. "It will not change France’s GDP. Purchasing power is improved through dynamic wage negotiations – not by working on a public holiday."
The hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) warned that “although we have obtained assurances that this law will not be enforced in 2026, vigilance and mobilisation remain crucial”.
The President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, criticised the government for having “had a year to negotiate with the trade unions regarding work on 1 May and failing to do so”, describing the failure as “symptomatic” of the lack of consultation in France.
Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, head of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance group in parliament, and who had pushed for the loosening of France's employment legislation, criticised the decision to drop the bill saying the government has "not kept its commitments".
In a social media post, the head of the conservative Republicans party, Bruno Retailleau wrote: "Once again, faced with pressure from unions and the left, the executive is backing down. France needs political courage, not repeated capitulations”.
Macron’s party calls for further easing Sunday work laws
Lecornu leads a fragile government, with no clear majority in the lower house. Appointed as prime minister in September 2025, he resigned after just 26 days, before being reappointed by Macron the following month. His mission was to end the political crisis and restore stability following Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024.
"The government wants in-depth social dialogue with social partners... reforms are possible: with respect and a methodical approach," the prime minister wrote on X.
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