News / France

France gov’t, major union talks fail to reach breakthrough

Friday, 17 June 2016 1:07 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 17 June 2016 1:07 PM ]

French secretary-general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) worker's union, Philippe Martinez stands outside the court of Bobigny, northern Paris on May 27, 2016 as the trial of 15 French CGT union's members. (AFP photo)

Negotiations between France's government and a major labor union have failed to put an end to protests over labor reforms.

France's labor minister Myriam El Khomri said on Friday after an hour and a half meeting with Philippe Martinez, the leader of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union, which has been organizing protests across France, that the two sides "did not find consensus."

For his part, Martinez said, "There are points of disagreement between the CGT and the government on basic things."

"These disagreements were confirmed today."

The leader of the union stressed its demand for rewriting or withdrawing several key articles of the bill.

Meanwhile, the minister said the text bearing her name could be "enriched" but "without undermining its purpose."

Martinez also called for the suspension of the debate on the bill in the Senate, which began on Monday, in order to allow new talks to occur. The debate will wrap up on June 24, with senators are set to vote for it four days later.

The bill had bypassed the lower house in May as the government pushed it through without a vote, using a constitutional tool.

People hold a banner which translates as "No to the break of the labor law"' during a demonstration against the French government's planned labor law reforms, on June 2, 2016 in Marseille, southern France. (AFP photo)

The lower house will have the final say if the two houses of parliament fail to approve the bill and Prime Minister Manuel Valls could again ram the legislation through.

The developments come after several hundred masked protesters on Tuesday in Paris hurled projectiles at police, who fired dozens of rounds of tear gas and used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

France’s embattled Socialist government says the proposed labor reforms focus on maximum working hours, holidays and breaks, and are aimed at curbing the unemployment rate.

Protesters and trade unions, however, say the government wants to make it easier and less costly for employers to lay off workers.

Also on Friday, a dozen of demonstrators were given jail terms ranging from four months behind bars to six-month suspended sentences.

The union has already called for more street marches against the controversial labor reforms for June 23 and 28 in defiance of threats by President Francois Hollande and his premier to ban anti-Paris protest rallies.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk