Sarkozy pushes for promised reforms in labor, immigration

French Nicolas Sarkozy, making good on election promises of wide-ranging reforms, ordered on Tuesday immediate talks with unions to do away with coveted retirement benefits that he deemed too costly, outdated and unfair.

He also said no workers should be forced against their will to retire before age 65, and he asked the government to do away with taxes and other measures that discourage seniors from staying on the job. The sweeping speech was a roadmap for change in the jobs sector.

The social system in France "discourages work," Sarkozy said. In another proposal, he urged further easing the requirements of the 35-hour work week law, with workers offered a choice between extra money or extra time off when they work beyond 35 hours.

The president's speech on retirement and other workplace reforms coincided with the start of debate by lawmakers on a bill to toughen immigration laws, another delicate front on which the president promised reform.

Immigration Brice Hortefeux said the government would consider a constitutional change that would open the way for immigrant quotas, in a vastly new approach to immigration.

"For many of our countrymen, immigration is a source of concern. They see a threat to their security, their jobs, their lifestyle," Hortefeux said in introducing his bill. "We must understand the ... hopes of this silent majority."

Conservative Sarkozy was elected in May on pledges to reinvigorate the economy and break with antiquated practices that weigh down France but do not reflect 21st century concerns.

Sarkozy's has tackled smaller reforms, from toughening laws governing juvenile delinquency to modernizing the lumbering university system. The government softened some of those measures amid threats of protest.

The disputed immigration bill -- the third in less than four years -- would require a French language test for visa candidates, and possible DNA tests to prove family ties with immigrants already in France. The proposed tests, which would be voluntary, set off a furor among human rights groups.

The government contends that nearly a dozen other European countries use DNA tests to ferret out fraud. Lawmaker Francois Sauvadet said such testing offered potential immigrants "a new right."

The bill is a step toward fulfilling Sarkozy's goal of increasing the proportion of skilled immigrants who come here strictly to work from the current seven percent to 50 percent.

Sarkozy tiptoeing into dangerous territory in his speech on job reforms -- portrayed himself as a leveling force for the state coffers while distributing the contents more equitably.

Sarkozy more flexibility in rules governing the workplace and asked unions to undertake changes so that negotiations don't end in "sterile confrontations disconnected from what is real."

Sarkozy Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand with opening two weeks of talks starting yesterday with unions.