France’s minority government has confirmed that it wants to scrap the public-holiday status of two national days as part of the 2026 budget, expecting the move to raise €4.2 billion a year and help narrow the country’s chronic deficit. In an orientation letter dated 8 August and sent to unions and business groups, Prime Minister François Bayrou proposes ending the Easter Monday and 8 May Victory in Europe Day breaks—though the exact dates remain negotiable. Employees in both the private and public sectors would work on the selected days without extra pay, while companies would pay a solidarity contribution to the state, mirroring the post-2004 ‘journée de solidarité’ regime. Social partners have until 1 September to say whether they will enter talks, which Bayrou wants wrapped up by 30 September so that the measure can be written into the 2026 finance bill. The government says the extra working days would lift national output and bolster competitiveness. All five major union confederations have already issued a joint statement rejecting the plan, which is also criticised by opposition parties on the left and far-right. An Ifop survey cited by L’Express found only 23 % of respondents in favour. Bayrou has told lawmakers that regional holidays specific to Alsace-Moselle will not be touched.