Let them eat baguette: French bakeries enjoy May Day exemption

French bakeries sold crusty baguettes and flaky croissants with government backing Friday, defying labour unions arguing that May 1 should remain a sacred day of compulsory rest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered several baguettes in front of the cameras in the village of Saint-Julien-Chapteuil in central France. "Let's have several ... at least four," he said, as he sought to promote a new bill to clearly exempt independent bread and flower shops from mandatory rest on Labour Day. Under French law, "May 1 is a public holiday and a non-working day". Essential services – such as hospitals and hotels – can remain open but must pay their staff double. France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu buys his bread. © Kenzo Tribouillard, AFP (Pool) But there has been confusion about whether bakeries can open. Labour inspectors on the public holiday in 2024 reported five bakers to the authorities for operating, causing them to be hauled before a court. The bakers were all acquitted last year, but their plight sparked debate across France. Watch moreMay Day in France: Who works and who doesn't? The government earlier this week encouraged bakers to work on May 1, saying they were "indispensable to the continuity of