France moves ahead with disputed labor lawOnus on Chirac to deal with measure making it easier to fire young workers
Updated: 1:51 p.m. ET March 30, 2006 PARIS
- Frances Constitutional Council upheld a new law Thursday making it
easier to fire young workers, a measure that sparked nationwide strikes
by labor unions and violent protests by students. The
councils decision puts the onus on President Jacques Chirac to either
implement the law as is at the risk of further unrest or negotiate
a compromise, perhaps by sending the law back to parliament or by
proposing modifications. Rarely
has a decision by the council, which rules on the constitutionality of
French laws, been so awaited. The student- and union-led protest
movement has plunged Chiracs government into crisis, and a decision to
strike the law down would have offered a way out. Instead,
the ruling by the councils nine appointed members allows the law to go
into effect depending on Chiracs actions making it easier for
employers to fire workers aged under 26, a degree of flexibility that
the government argues will spur hirings. Students and labor unions say
the contract will erode Frances cherished workplace protections. Lawmakers
in Chiracs governing majority said they expected him to enact the law
quickly a decision likely to further infuriate protesters. To soften
the anger, Chirac may offer talks with labor leaders or appoint a
mediator to deal with their concerns, lawmakers said. Chiracs office said he would speak on the issue Friday night, leaving him 24 hours to mull his decision. The
leader of the opposition Socialist Party, Francois Hollande,
immediately asked Chirac not to promulgate the law and send it back to
parliament. French
unions and students on Wednesday ordered a fresh round of strikes for
next Tuesday and appealed to Chirac to withdraw the contract, which is
championed by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. Unions warned they
were determined to amplify their movement. On
Tuesday more than 1 million demonstrators took to the streets and
strikes disrupted air, rail and bus travel even shutting down the
Eiffel Tower in the largest nationwide protest against the law.
Police arrested more than 900 people nationwide. 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |