LIVE. May Day demonstrations: first processions from 10 a.m., 100,000 to 150,000 people expected

Invited on RTL, Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet believes that there is a "need for clarification and legal security for those who want to work, both employers and employees" on May 1st. For several weeks, certain professions, particularly bakeries and florists, have been demanding to be able to open on Labor Day without risking being penalized. Since this is a public holiday, in theory, no employees should work, with a few exceptions. Violators risk being fined up to €750 per employee working.

"There are people who want to work in our country and, when they do so on a voluntary basis with double their salary, they should be able to do so," the minister insisted. A Senate bill to this effect has been tabled with the government's support. Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet hopes that "by May 1, 2026, we will have been able to pass this bill with Catherine Vautrin (Minister of Labor, Health, and Solidarity, Editor's note), only the law can change this somewhat absurd situation."

In the meantime, the minister reiterates that she cannot "prevent" the Labor Inspectorate from carrying out checks, but she calls for "collective intelligence to prevail."

In turn, when questioned about the proposed law on work on May 1st , La France Insoumise (LFI) MP Éric Coquerel opposed it. "May 1st is sacred," the chairman of the National Assembly's Finance Committee declared on France 2. "We want a society in which, at some point, workers can stop working. It is obvious that it is the workers' day, which is sacred. We are not touching it," he justified, stating that "the question of volunteering is difficult to raise" between an employee and their boss.

Interviewed on France Info, Lutte Ouvrière spokesperson and former presidential candidate Nathalie Arthaud opposed the proposed law that would allow certain professions to reopen on May 1st on a voluntary basis. "I understand, it's freedom and volunteerism: do you think an apprentice baker is going to say that they're not volunteering? (...) Progress isn't about working more. It's about better distribution of wealth and being better paid," she argued.

The CFDT intends on May 1st to "highlight what workers are saying about their work." "The idea we have is to say what the state of work is (...) The CFDT really wants to highlight what workers are saying about their work," says Marylise Léon.

CFDT General Secretary Marylise Léon has expressed opposition to the proposed law that would allow several professions to open on May 1st on a voluntary basis. "May 1st is a workers' day. It should be a special time of year," she told TF1.