Outcry over French PM's plan to scrap two holidays

Move aims to lower national debt but similar bid in 2003 cost then PM his job

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PARIS - French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou wants to scrap two public holidays to put the country's finances back on track. It's a brave move: The last French leader to try something similar soon found himself out of a job.

Mr Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk who is fighting for his political survival, made the headline-grabbing proposal on July 15, when he outlined a series of deficit-reduction measures worth €43.8 billion (S$65.4 billion) in 2026 aimed at lowering France's debt.

"The entire nation must work more - to produce, to increase overall national activity throughout the year, and to improve France's situation," Mr Bayrou said.

"That's why I propose the removal of two public holidays."

His idea is not without precedent.

In 2003, just months after a heat-wave that killed nearly 15,000 people, then Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin announced a plan to scrap the Pentecost Monday holiday and replace it with a "day of solidarity".

Pitched as a form of civic duty to finance aid for the elderly who had been disproportionately affected by the heatwave, employees would work for free while employers would also contribute.