PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has signed five decrees paving the way to the implementation of labor reform measures aimed at boosting growth.
The move Friday comes as unions and political opponents stage a series of street protests, fearing the reforms will weaken hard-won worker protections.
The labor overhaul is the central pillar in Macron's promises to create jobs.
The measures aim to make it easier for firms to hire and fire, simplify negotiations between employers and employees, and reduce the power of national collective bargaining.
Macron said the first measures will start being applied next week.
He lauded the "unprecedented wave of changes" to France's social model, along with a reform of unemployment benefits and a training plan for jobless people to be set up next year.
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