For once, Eric Ciotti has not been overly zealous and is positioning himself far from the first elected officials (all from the right) who have adopted the “Molière clause” in public contracts in the Alpes-Maritimes.
In summary, it involves claiming that companies hire workers who speak French on the pretext that they must understand instructions and safety guidelines.
In this context, Eric Ciotti, president of the Alpes-Maritimes Department, will propose a resolution for a vote on April 7 during the next council meeting.
It is quite clear that the intention is to indirectly prevent the presence of posted foreign workers, which impacts the labor market.
This maneuver will have either a positive influence, or it is a propagandist measure without effect, useful to present to the electorate the image that the radical right is pursuing the same policies as the extreme right, so why vote for the latter?
This resolution creates an administrative barrier between countries while the free movement of people is provided for by the 1996 European directive and will likely be subject to appeals to the Commission and the Court, both being European bodies.
Will it be the solution to employment issues in a nationalist way? Unfortunately, it is likely not, if we look at the reality of the numbers.
The Ministry of Labor acknowledges nearly 300,000 posted workers (with Poland, Portugal, and Spain leading as exporting countries).
In terms of percentage, this represents 1% of the total workforce.
On the other hand, around 120,000 French workers have taken the reverse path. Assuming that the rule, if accepted and applied, is the same for everyone, the impact diminishes significantly.
One last consideration: are we sure that French companies will benefit from this measure? That the labor market is in a position to respond positively to this trend?
And finally, will local authorities accept seeing the cost of their public contracts increase?
Because, let’s not hide it, posted labor also helped reduce costs…
