Macron versus the railways

President Macron is doing what other French leaders have tried but failed to do in the past, get hold of the whole workforce, shake it up and make it enter the 21st century. Bit like what Maggie Thatcher did to the unions in general and the miners in particular way back in the UK. His predecessors sounded tough but surrendered after months of national strikes, no trains and combine harvesters blocking the motorways. The French worker has always known how to bring a government to its knees. The French air traffic controllers, for example, just choose the busiest holiday period and storm out, leaving every airport and every travelling family in misery. By my recollection the only leader of a country who ever took on the air traffic controllers was Ronald Reagan. He just sacked the lot and brought in retrained management people to keep the planes flying. It was risky but brilliant and it worked. Macron now has to confront the railway workers who hate his labour reforms and are taking strike action for the next few months. If he turns out to be another Francois Hollande he will back down and say, "ok ok, you can have all your special privileges, I can't fight you". This time, the French president has to stand firm whatever the consequences. These train guys, once they are recruited, are guaranteed a job for life. The railways, psrtly as a result of this extraordinary gift, are running at a huge loss which has to be paid for by the French taxpayers. Any sensible person with even basic maths knows that a business, whether public or private. cannot go on doing that, not in this day and age. They need to get real. Everyone has heard of the British working malaise, but the French are much much worse. I happen to know of one major company owned by the French in the UK running a key transport organisation, some of whose employees do very little all day and whenever anyone suggests good ways to make the whole place more efficient he or she gets told to shut up. So Macron has his work cut out. Us holidaymakers who have planned to go to France by Eurostar this summer will have to grin and bear it. But if Macron wins then it will be good news for everyone, not just for France. Bon chance, M Macron.