A million protest against government attack on job security for young workers

The CPE gives employers the right to sack workers without cause for the first two years of their employment. It covers workers under 26, and is part of a package of measures contained in the so-called Equal Opportunities Law. Other provisions reduce the statutory school leaving age to 14 for failing pupils and withdraw benefits from parents of absentee school children According to opinion polls, 65 percent of the French people support the demonstrations against the CPE.

The mobilisation was endorsed by all of the student unions and trade unions, and supported by the main parents’ federation, the Federation of Pupils’ Parents Councils, and by the official left parties as well as the so-called “far left” parties. In addition to student strikes at universities and high schools, sections of workers responded to strike notices issued by the unions—the FSU (Federation of Unitary Unions), the Socialist Party-orientated Force Ouvrière (Workers Power), and the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), which is allied to the Communist Party

Several radio stations went off the air, flights were cancelled at several airports, and up to 30 per cent of teachers struck. In some cities urban transport was disrupted.

Despite the scale of the protests, the Equal Opportunities Law was passed on its second reading in the National Assembly March 9 and the government has said CPE contracts will start to be signed by mid-April.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/demo-m11.shtml