Capitalist Lawyer
11th February 2005, 16:27
PARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac's conservative government faced a major challenge to its economic policies on Saturday as tens of thousands of public and private sector workers protested over labour laws, pensions and schools.
With more than 50,000 taking to the streets in provincial cities, organisers said they hoped for a national turnout of at least 300,000 nationwide to ram home their message.
"The government would do well not only to hear but to listen to the workers," said the secretary-general of the CGT union, Bernard Thibault, at the start of the rally in Paris.
The protests come as parliament debates a government plan to allow staff in the private sector to increase overtime and work up to 48 hours a week, the maximum allowed under EU law. But managers must first agree the changes with unions.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin says rules must be relaxed to help cut stubbornly high unemployment, currently close to 10 percent, and make the world's fifth largest economy more competitive.
Four of France's five major unions called Saturday's protests against reforms they say would sound the death knell of the 35-hour week and result in longer hours without extra pay.
"Chirac, Raffarin, are you sleeping? Your workers are in the street," chanted demonstrators in Toulouse in southwest France.
The 35-hour week was introduced in 1998 by the previous Socialist administration in an effort to reduce joblessness. The party has called on Raffarin to abandon his reform and re-open negotiations with the unions.
Let me get this straight... a 35 hour work week was introduced 7 years ago to reduce joblessness, and now, the same government is wanting to up the workweek and include ( gasp !! ) overtime, to reduce high unemployment...
Excuse me why I laugh, gag, etc.... The socialists just DON'T GET IT...
With more than 50,000 taking to the streets in provincial cities, organisers said they hoped for a national turnout of at least 300,000 nationwide to ram home their message.
"The government would do well not only to hear but to listen to the workers," said the secretary-general of the CGT union, Bernard Thibault, at the start of the rally in Paris.
The protests come as parliament debates a government plan to allow staff in the private sector to increase overtime and work up to 48 hours a week, the maximum allowed under EU law. But managers must first agree the changes with unions.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin says rules must be relaxed to help cut stubbornly high unemployment, currently close to 10 percent, and make the world's fifth largest economy more competitive.
Four of France's five major unions called Saturday's protests against reforms they say would sound the death knell of the 35-hour week and result in longer hours without extra pay.
"Chirac, Raffarin, are you sleeping? Your workers are in the street," chanted demonstrators in Toulouse in southwest France.
The 35-hour week was introduced in 1998 by the previous Socialist administration in an effort to reduce joblessness. The party has called on Raffarin to abandon his reform and re-open negotiations with the unions.
Let me get this straight... a 35 hour work week was introduced 7 years ago to reduce joblessness, and now, the same government is wanting to up the workweek and include ( gasp !! ) overtime, to reduce high unemployment...
Excuse me why I laugh, gag, etc.... The socialists just DON'T GET IT...