France

Immigrant workers strike over status

Article published on the 2008-04-16 Latest update 2008-04-17 12:55 TU

Immigrant workers demonstrating near Paris
Photo: AFP

Hundreds of immigrant workers went on strike in the Paris area yesterday, claiming that they are eligible for legal status in France. The workers, mostly from west Africa, claim that they should benefit from a government measure dating from January, which would give them the legal right to stay.

The measure allows legalisation of workers in sectors which are having trouble recruiting and is part of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's "selective immigration" policy.

The strikers claimed that the government has failed to apply this measure. The strike was organised by the CGT labour union and an association for aiding immigrant workers. Most of those who were on strike work in cleaning, gardening or in restaurants. All of them had work contracts but were hired using false papers.

Raymond Chaveau, a CGT representative, says that employers are taking advantage of the workers' fears of getting caught.

"There is a whole category of the population which  lives and works in fear", he says. "They are malleable, flexible and entirely at their employers' mercy. This flexibility generates a higher profit for their employers. The union movement has an obligation to take these workers into account."

France's Immigration Ministry responded to the movement by saying that the law applied only to workers who had particularly sought-after skills. The ministry added that it was the responsibility of local authorities to treat applications from immigrants on a case by case basis.