Employers can now be fined in this country for after-hours calls

Employers can now be fined in this country for after-hours calls

The Portuguese Parliament here behind me has approved one of the most employee friendly …………………….. ……………………… in an attempt really to ……………………….. the work-life balance as people continue to work from home. Now, under this new law, bosses …………… ………….. ……………………… to contact employee outside of working hours. And that basically means no …………………… calls, no …………………… messages and no emails, or else they’ ll be ……………………. .

The new law says employers must also ……………………….. working-from-home ……………………….. such as ……………………….. electricity, gas and internet …………………. On the streets of Lisbon, may told me this law was ……………………………. .

“With working from home, there was an extension of our working hours. And unfortunately, some bosses could have had a …………………………… to ………………………….. that.”

“I know what my colleagues and I ……………………. …………………. in the lack of regard for working hours, because they’re not respected. People nowadays have to be ……………………. 24 hours a day because they have a company ………………… ………………….. or a ………………. …………………………. . People have to have their own ……………………….. .

“I think there should be some sort of ………………………….. in regards to questions of working from home. I’m not sure that just because it’s been written in law, that it will be …………………….. enough for it to be respected.”

Portugal’s ruling socialist party hopes the new labour law will attract …………………. nomads to their shores.

“This gives power to workers that can choose the best place to live and to work in any part of the world. Of course, it also gives a huge opportunity to companies that can have the best ……………………………  in the world, no matter where the workers live.”

It is perhaps a bit too soon to tell how exactly this law will be ……………………………….. but it was one of the last ……………………………. taken by parliament before it was dissolved ahead of a snap election next year, where jobs and the economy are likely to be the ………………….. ……………………….. .

Isa Soares, CNN, Lisbon, Portugal

Find in the text the following phrases:

en gros (adv) :

sinon :

malheureusement :

le manque de considération pour :

de nos jours (adv) :

en ce qui concerne :

peu importe (où) :

devraient probablement être :

1. Translate the following groups of word into French, paying particular attention to determiners (highlight them)  :

one of the most employee friendly labour law

no phone calls, no text messages and no emails :

working-from-home expanses :

increased electricity, gas and internet bills:

a company cell phone or a work computer :

Portugal’s ruling socialist party

1. Underline the verbal groups, say whether they refer to the past, present or future, circle the auxiliaries, say what they express and translate the sentences into French:

People nowadays have to be available  24 hours a day.

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