France is finally abandoning the mandated 35-hour work week. For those of you who didn't know, France limited the number of hours a person could work to 35 hours per week. It was enforced strictly, and a person could be fined if officials noticed their car in the office parking lot for too many hours or until late into the night.

Their thinking was that if people were working less, employers would hire more workers and thus lower the unemployment rate. Of course it instead had a depressing effect on the economy, and double digit unemployment became normal.

Now cooler heads have prevailed, and French lawmakers are relaxing the mandate. But the slackers aren't going without a fight.

A nationwide strike to protest the change and seek higher pay disrupted transport, schools, and postal service on March 10.

Of course! Longer hours aren't needed for more pay. Just print more money! Why didn't they think of that before?

Of course, this being France, the fix is still only half-assed. Public sector jobs will still be subject to 35 hours a week, and private sector jobs are capped at 48 hours a week. Meanwhile, the BBC notes an opinion poll that leads me to believe that the problem is as much cultural as anything.

A poll earlier this year showed that the majority of French workers did not want to work longer hours, with only 18% saying they did.

Public sector trade unions mobilised against the reforms, bringing hundreds of thousands of protesters on to the streets in a series of protests across the country.

It's like something from the files of George Costanza. They work harder at avoiding work, than if they went to work in the first place.