employment

Voters on the left rue the French government's first loosening of the labor law in decades. François Picard's panel wonders if under the guise of the Socialist label, a quiet revolution might be afoot in the French workplace?

A notice board causes a political storm. A "mur des cons" or "wall of jerks" has been filmed in the offices of a trade union representing a third of magistrates in France. While the union - the Syndicat de la Magistrature - is known to be left-wing, right-wing politicians are furious because the "wall of jerks" lampoons figures on the right, including Nicolas Sarkozy and a number of his allies. The question being asked is whether French justice is impartial.

Swiss voters have overwhelmingly backed proposals to limit executive pay. More than 2 thirds of Swiss chose to give shareholders a veto over compensation for bosses, as well as payouts for managers leaving their jobs. The move comes only days after the EU approved measures to cap bankers' bonuses and is being watched with interest from other European countries such as Germany, where some politicians hope to introduce similar measures.

Farm workers are on strike once again in South Africa, after a protest at the end of last year that left two people dead and caused 13 million euros' worth of damage. Employees are demanding that their wages be doubled, complaining that it's not possible to live on their current salary of €35 a week. The financial crisis and mechanisation are also taking their toll on jobs, with 700,000 farm labourers feeling the pinch.