FRENCH WORKERS FACE BAN ON WINE AT WORK

A historic ruling from French Labour Ministry has forbidden drinking wine at the work place. An age old custom in French working life allowed consumption of wine at the work place. The now defunct “Work Code” stipulated the employers could not ban beer, cider and wine from workplace canteens and social drinking in office. Other beverages such as spirits were able to be forbidden under the code, while drivers, medical staff and machine operators have always been banned from drinking at all while on duty. Now the French labour ministry ruling threatens to cut all French employees from this long-held tradition leaving it to employers to judge whether wine or other beverages can be consumed at the work place.