France's Constitutional Council approved Thursday the
controversial First Employment Contract (CPE)job law, despite three
weeks of protests.
The final decision to officially sign it into law or to withdraw
it is to be made by French President Jacques Chirac on Friday.
Chirac was expected to make a public declaration over the CPE
law, which would, according to the French government, make it
easier for employers to hire younger workers.
But opponents argued that the open-ended contract for under
26-year-old workers, which can be terminated without explanation in
a two-year trial period, was a breach of the hard-won labor rights
and would make it more difficult than ever for young people to find
long-term jobs.
France's five major trade unions rejected Tuesday French prime
minister's invitation for dialogue on Wednesday and have called for
another day of national strike next Tuesday to protest the law.
Bruno Julliard, head of the main student union behind the
protests, said it was now up to Chirac "to respond to the
expectations of a large majority of the population and to force the
government to withdraw."
Bernard Thibault, head of the CGT, France's largest union, said
that if Chirac promulgated the law, it would "torpedo all
possibility of discussions" and "aggravate the crisis."
Three weeks of escalating strikes and demonstrations reached a
high Tuesday when between one million and three million people
marched in streets across the country.
Public transport, schools, post offices and banks have all been
disturbed by the strike, and no newspapers were delivered.
According to the unions, some 5 million public servants and private
employees were mobilized in the national strike on Tuesday.
More than 200 trouble-makers were arrested Tuesday in Paris and
more than 387 arrests were made across the country after violent
incidents in cities including Rennes and Grenoble.
The strikes have also led to serious disturbances in 60 of the
country's 84 universities and some 25 percent of the country's
4,370 high schools till Tuesday, according to the French Education
Ministry.
(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2006)
