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13 April, 2006
After six weeks of intense demonstrations and strikes, through which millions of workers and students voiced their aversion of a new French law aimed, at least according to the government, at getting more young people working, the French Prime Minister decided on Monday that enough was enough.
Dominique De Villepin announced that the “first job contract law” (contrat première embauche – CPE) will be replaced, after it had become apparent that earlier attempts by the government to scale it down were just as firmly rejected by the protesters.
The French trade unions, who, together with French student organisations, had successfully managed to stage a few of the largest demonstrations the country has seen for decades, said they were pleased with the result. The proposed CPE would have made it possible to dismiss workers under 26 in their first two years of employment without any reason given.
Several demonstrations were held in a number of major French cities this week after the announcement on Monday, as the organisations want to keep the pressure on the government to make sure the suggested replacement proposition is of a higher quality.
Yesterday, the French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) adopted a compromise to replace the CPE. The focal point would now be on providing assistance for young people that face the most difficulties in gaining access to the job market, through measures such as more training, internships and subsidies for hiring youths with lower qualifications.