About
#OnVautMieuxQueÇa (French for We Are Better Than This) is a hashtag campaign aimed at opposing a new draft bill meant to reform the French Labor Code. Online, A petition was launched, followed by the Twitter hashtag which has gained massive traction due to several Youtube celebrities showing their support for the movement.
Context
Through the end of 2015, a commission was hired by the French government to evaluate the current Labor Code and find points that could be changed, improved or removed. They issued their reports in late January 2016, leading to the official announcement of a major Labor Code reform under the name Loi du Travail (“Work Law”) and Loi El Khomri (“El Khomri Law”), coming from France current Work Minister Myriam El Khomri.
In early February 2016, the bill was leaked to the internet and the mainstream media which published several articles about the upcoming law set to be voted on March 9th[1].
On February 19th, 2016, Feminist activist Caroline DE HAAS launched a petition on Change.org, directed at the Ministry of Work, in which she listed what she perceived as several flaws in the law that would result in workplace conditions, firing and wage abuse by employers[2], calling for protests and opposition against it.
In a little more than a week, the petition gained more than 600 000 signatures.
Spread
The petition page also links to a single-serving site presenting potential abuses that would be made legal by the law[3].
On Twitter, the reform was heavily criticized under the hashtag #loitravail[4] which was reported on by various new outlets.
[WIP]
#OnVautMieuxQueÇa
On February 24th, several French Youtubers united to make a video titled “On vaut mieux que ça”, French for We are better than this (shown below). In it, they exposed their viewpoints on the current situation and they ask for people to oppose the law. The video has gained over 100 000 views in the first two days of its release.
The hashtag #OnVautMieuxQueÇa[5] began trending on Twitter, including people sharing their actual experience with workplace injustice and abuse. Again, this movement was reported on by numerous new outlets.
[WIP]
Response from the government
[WIP]
External References
[1]Les Echos – Myriam El Khomri : «Il n’y a aucun recul des droits des salariés» (French)
[2]Change.org – Loi travail : non, merci ! (French)
[3]Loi Travail (French)
[4]Twitter – #loitravail
[5]Twitter – #OnVautMieuxQueCa