French students vow to step up protests against new job law
“Without a withdrawal of the law, there can be no question of possible negotiations,” said Xavier Pascal, a student leader among 500 delegates from more than 80 universities and other educational institutions who met in Aix-en-Provence to coordinate their actions.
In a joint statement, the students said they planned to block train stations and main roads on March 30 and called on the government to resign.
“The government’s deafness does not weaken our determination,” they said after two months of protests which have led to sporadic riots and rising fears the demonstrations could be hijacked by hooligans.
France risks chaos tomorrow as students, school children and their parents march in many cities, while the trade unions have called for a general strike which is expected to disrupt public transport, with many trains and flights cancelled and only one in two Paris metro trains expected to run.
Several universities and schools are occupied by students, while hundreds of riot police have sealed off the Sorbonne and Academie de France buildings in central Paris after evicting students with tear gas two weeks ago.
The Archbishop of Paris, Andre Vingt-Trois, said in a speech to students that he understood young people were looking for security but this was difficult.
“Honestly, I do not believe that anybody can guarantee you this security, no more than guarantee that you will have a standard of living comparable to your parents,” he said.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin met moderate student organisations on Saturday in talks that were boycotted by the main groups behind the protests. After the meeting, Mr Villepin said he wanted to find a solution.
The constitutional court still needs to approve the law.
The row over the CPE (First Job Contract), which allows employers to fire people under 26 without giving a reason during a two-year trial period, is one of the biggest crises in Mr Villepin’s 10-month administration.
The government wants to make France’s rigid labour laws more flexible in a bid to boost economic growth and cut unemployment in a country with a 23% jobless rate among young people.
But many French people reject an erosion of what they call their social rights.
