France Will Continue to Mirror Apartheid-Era South Africa, Says Law Professor
PARIS
French President Jacques Chirac succumbed to pressure from students and unions on Monday and has withdrawn the controversial youth labor law that triggered massive protests and strikes across the country.
According to Harry Hutchison, a visiting law professor at George Mason University, the French government did not have the courage to implement the law and “the costs will be borne disproportionately by the poor — particularly poor immigrants.
“Some of these individuals will likely find work in the underground economy and will continue to have poor long-term prospects as the law of unintended consequences continues to discourage French employers to take the risk and employ marginal workers,” he says.
Hutchison adds that in this sense, France will continue to mirror apartheid-era South Africa. During the period before Nelson Mandela rose to political power, White South Africans understood that if they raised the minimum wage high enough, they would not have to discriminate on the basis of race. The theory said most South African Blacks lacked sufficient skills to justify employing them in “White jobs.” Hence the employment of South African Blacks remained at a very low level for most of the 20th century, says Hutchison.
