France/Europe - labour unrest

Gasworkers arrested for protest, strikes due 26 May

Article published on the 2009-05-15 Latest update 2009-05-15 10:56 TU

Students demonstrate in Paris Thursday
(Photo: Reuters)

Dozens of protesting gasworkers were arrested Thursday night after briefly occupying the headquarters of the leading industry body in a protest over wages. The arrests took place at the end of a day of demonstrations by students and workers.

About 40 workers were charged with wilful damage but released after police detained them as they left the headquarters of the Association française du gaz in Paris. Another 34 who had been detained were released without charge.

The group had occupied the building during the afternoon as part of an ongoing dispute over pay rates. In April a Paris court opened a legal investigation into alleged "wilful damage and threat to life" because trade unionists cut off gas supplies as part of the industrial action.

Thousands of hospital workers and students protested against government plans for their sectors in France on Thursday. The Health Ministry claims that the number of healthworkers on strike was lower than on a previous day of action on 28 April. 

Several dozen workers at tyremakers Michelin demonstrated outside the company's shareholders' annual meeting in the central town of Clermont-Ferrand on Friday. The protesters, who managed to enter the building briefly, chanted "Money for wages, not shares!" and "Jobs and wages, shareholders' profits should pay!"

The ETUC logo
(Photo: DR)

French rail unions on Friday announced that they will call a strike on 26 May for demands which include better pay and pensions. The country's eight union federations have called a day of protest for the day, to be followed by another on 13 June as part of an ongoing campaign for job security during the economic crisis.

Demonstrations in defence of jobs are taking place in Brussels on Friday and Prague and Berlin on Saturday. They follow a protest in Madrid Thursday and are part of a campaign for job security by European trade unions.

The strike at RFI against threatened layoffs continues.