FRANCE: Thousands in transport strike bill protest

Thousands of demonstrators rally outside the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament in Paris, where lawmakers are debating a bill on the minimum service in transport. French trade unions held a protest outside the National Assembly on Tuesday (July 31) against a government bill aimed at introducing restrictions on their right to strike in the dispute-prone public transport sector. President Nicolas Sarkozy promised during this year's election campaign that he would introduce new rules compelling transport workers to give 48 hours' notice of any strike and forcing them to hold a secret ballot on lengthy stoppages. The rallies, planned in dozens of cities across France, are the first widespread union protest against one of Sarkozy's planned summer reforms, which also include a series of tax cuts and toughening sentences for repeat offenders. "We are against a bill that is being prepared at the National Assembly for the simple reason that it will withdraw an essential and constitutional right, that is the right to strike," said RATP bus driver Najir Abderaman. Opinion polls suggest that the public backs the tougher strike rules, which the government has presented as an attempt to protect workers from wildcat walkouts. The head of the influential CGT union said there was no need for the two-day notice period, adding that if the law was passed his group would ask the Constitutional Council, which can vet legislation, to review whether it violated the constitution. Tuesday's protests were unlikely to change the outcome in parliament, where Sarkozy's centre-right bloc have a majority. The government could face tougher resistance after the summer holidays if it seeks to expand the new rules to sectors other than road transport, the subject tackled in this bill.

ITN Source | August 1, 2007

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