Despite legal prohibition, independent bakers and florists will be able to employ staff on Friday, May 1st. The government's decision, relying on instructions to labour inspectors, is causing confusion among shop owners. Paul Boivin noted that « légalement, rien n’a changé ».
May 1st, a paid public holiday under the labour code and the law of April 30, 1947, is traditionally reserved for continuous activity establishments like hospitals, transport, and hotels. Neighbourhood shops such as bakeries and florists previously faced fines if they opened.
In 2026, after shelving a bill to expand work on May 1st under union pressure, Sébastien Lecornu offered some leeway. On April 17, the prime minister guaranteed instructions to labour inspectors to tolerate the opening of neighbourhood shops, without changing the law.
Paul Boivin, general delegate of bakery entrepreneurs, highlights that this creates legal uncertainty. Shop owners express a mix of relief, mistrust, and anger over this unofficial tolerance.
This decision exemplifies French blockages: a rigid law bypassed by tolerance that fosters insecurity, according to editorialist Gaëtan de Capèle.
