Protesting French students block Eurostar trains

Protesting students shut down Eurostar trains to the UK and blocked a convoy of parts for the crown jewel of European aviation, Airbus’ A380, to put more pressure on France’s embattled government to repeal a new labour law.

Students occupied rail tracks at three of Paris’ train stations. In southwestern France, about 100 students burst onto a highway as trucks carrying parts for the A380 superjumbo jet approached en route to a factory.

The overnight protest was calm, but it blocked the delivery for about two and a half hours, police said.

Since Tuesday’s massive nationwide street demonstrations that drew between one and three million protesters, students are increasingly using wildcat disruptions as they try to force the government to repeal the law that would make it easier to hire and fire young people.

At Paris’ Gare du Nord station, about 1,000 students paralysed all train traffic – including Eurostar services to Britain and Thalys routes to Belgium and the Netherlands.

At Paris’ Orly airport, protesters marched down a highway lane, blocking traffic and forcing some harried travellers to walk, dragging their luggage behind them.

Many universities have been disrupted or entirely shut down for weeks. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin – whose standing has been badly damaged by the stand-off – appealed for an end to protests.

“The immediate priority, as we all know, is restoring calm. It is time to get out of the crisis and rediscover the serenity and unity of the whole country,” he said, adding that classes should resume.

Villepin quashed speculation about whether he would resign, insisting he would carry his battle against chronic unemployment “through to the end.”

Unions and ruling party MPs were in talks about the jobs law for a second day today, though unions stressed that they would not drop their demand that parliament scrap the law.

Yesterday, they issued an ultimatum: repeal the law by April 15 or face more massive mayhem.

Villepin championed the law to stem youth unemployment rates of 22%, and as high as 50% in some depressed, heavily immigrant suburbs hit by weeks of riots last year. Unions are angry that Villepin pushed it through quickly, without consulting them.

“I wanted to go quickly, it’s true, simply because I want results,” Villepin said today.

The law is designed to untangle France’s rigid labour market and reduce high youth unemployment by making it easier for companies to hire – and fire - workers under the age of 26.

Opponents fear it is the beginning of a chipping away of France’s cherished labour protections.

Many French workers hold permanent contracts and can plan to hold their jobs until retirement. Employers who want to fire a worker often must give three months’ notice, pay fines to the state and provide up to three years’ severance pay.