While I don't condone violence, I can't say what the young people in France are doing right now is wrong. The law pushed by President Jacques Chirac is BS to say the least. Allowing corporations to fire young people anytime they want within the first two years of their employment sets up the pretext for corporate abuse. Basically, these companies can hire people without giving them retirement benefits or health insurance. This will lead to more money in their pockets, and less in the pockets of citizens. I think millions of people marching through the streets will force Chirac to void the law. I'm glad they are shutting the city down. This will force the government to cater to their people instead of themselves. I think the situation in France is an example of fascism. Corporate entities pay off politicians and lobby them to pass laws which will allow them to increase their bottom line, while destroying the economic stability of the citizens. France in fresh day of protests BBC | April 4 2006 French public transport and air services are being disrupted in a day of nationwide protests against a new youth employment law. Unions and student groups are hoping to repeat last week's rallies when more than a million people marched across the country against the CPE contracts. However, there are hints that protest leaders may be preparing to enter talks with the government. The law making it easy to hire and fire young people came into force on Sunday. However the government has asked employers not to apply the law until amendments are made. There are reports that more than 100,000 protesters are already marching in some cities, in what is a fifth day of nationwide protests in two months. More than 200 rallies are planned over the course of the day, with the main rally set to get under way in Paris shortly. Transport is being affected nationwide, although the impact appears weaker than a similar strike a week ago: Civil aviation authorities report some delays at French airports and some internal flights are cancelled Two-thirds of high-speed intercity rail links are operating normally The Paris metro is operating almost normally and so are buses Transport strikes are held in 32 other towns and cities including Marseille and Toulouse Truce in sight? Thousands of riot police are being deployed to prevent a repeat of the clashes and vandalism that marred several previous demonstrations, particularly in Paris. There are, however, some signs that protesters may be willing to negotiate. Bernard Thibault, head of trade union CGT, said the action was aimed at getting the law withdrawn as it is now legally in force. "The law can therefore be enforced even though we've got the president and ministers at the same time jumping through hoops, the like of which we've never seen before and with good reason, asking employers not to enforce it," he told French radio. "I hope the demonstrations will help us deal a fatal blow to the CPE." On Friday, President Chirac pledged to shorten from two years to one the period in which young people could be fired and said employers would need a reason for the dismissal. But trade unions say the proposed amendments are unacceptable. French newspapers say Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has effectively taken over from Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in the search for a solution. The two men are tipped as rivals as candidates for the right to succeed President Jacques Chirac in the 2007 presidential election. Mr Sarkozy now seems to be the man in control, talking to the unions behind the scenes about what should happen next, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt reports. Mr de Villepin's poll ratings for his handling of the economy have slumped to the lowest level since he took office nearly a year ago, in a survey released on Tuesday. Mr de Villepin's government says the law will help tackle high levels of youth unemployment - currently running at more than 20%.
As a french guy maybe I can give you some insight in what is going on. First of all the violence are coming from a small minority of people. Out of the 1 to 2 million people protesting in the streets yesterday only a thousand guys were involved in the violence. By the way they are the same people who were involved in the riots we had last fall. And they don't understand anything about the new law. They are only in to show that they are alive. So don't believe what you see on TV. It is not a violent protest. Only a bunch of stupid people. Actually even Brad Pitt is in Paris right now so Then these protests are more important than about a young labor law, but about what values people want in their lives. I know it is not easy to understand for American people for instance as we don't share the same value. I gues that money is more important in the US while protecting your job privileges is a strong value in France. I have to say that this law can be dangerous. Let's take for example a young woman who is hired through this kind of contract. How can she protect against sexual harassment. She has to say yes to everything otherwise she will be fired. And you are right about that. It has to do with the rivalry between the prime minister and his police minister who are both running to succeed Chirac, and the inability of Chirac to impose his leadership. Therefore the prime minister tried to score points with this law and he eventually lost. It is a political game and the youngs are the one who will pay.
On the otherhand, people that gets fired get subsidys enough to live a normal life and having some fun. Getting fired is not that bad here in Europe as it is in America. Anyway, how can you be fired if you don't get a job in the first place? Our labour laws makes our industry very inefective compared with other countries. Unemployment is very high and this is not an important issue? if not, then keep protesting.
Being in a "right to work" state.. where you can be fired at any time for any reason, and quit at any time for any reason - I don't see what the big deal is. If you're a good employee you'll have a job, if you're a bad employee you'll get fired. Big deal....
It isn't that simple. A "right to work" state means that the corporations benefit, not the employees. They can use you and then spit you out the moment they get ready. That means no retirement, 401K, pensions, or all that good stuff. You have to understand the nature of large corporations. Most of them will do anything to cut costs, and don't really want to pay for the healthcare of their employees. By lobbying to the government to pass laws which allow them to fire their employees whenever they want, this means their costs will be reduced, and their profits will soar. Here in the US, many employers have to give raises and health insurance to their employees after a certain period of time, like 6 months to a year.........If "right to work" laws are passed, this means a company can hire you and then fire you before they have to give you raises or insurance. It is basically fascism. The corporations pay off governments to pass laws which favor them. The French are doing a good job by protesting. I hope Chirac is forced to void the law. He is a piece of trash. That man has never had to work a day in his life..........he was born with a silver spoon. Another reason why "right to work" is a form of corporatism is because in the US, your credit and other factors may be determined by how long you hold a job. If you are constantly changing jobs because employers are letting you go, this means you may have a hard time getting a car or a place to stay. I live in Nevada, which is a right to work state. I know hard working people who have been let go from their jobs numerous times for bogus reasons. The situation in France is the same as the immigration issue here in the US: Both benefit multinational corporations.
You need to understand the language of politics to see what's really going to happen. Chirac is going to leave office in 2007 so now is the time for a raft of unpopular laws to get introduced - he is a man in his twilight years of life and last year of office, so he can carry the can for all of it and not worry about his career. There will also be other laws quietly making their way onto the legal life of the French 'under the radar' while these protests are underway and the people are distracted looking toward the labour laws and protests. Classic tactics. Also classic tactics is the way one of the 'underlings' is seen as the hard-ass who nobody likes while the other is the person to whom the people turn to 'save them' from such terrible laws (good cop, bad cop). He won't of course, only deliver what was in the original blueprint when the laws were planned - probably a 6 month timespan where people can be fired, with a reason. He'll be hailed a 'hero for the people's rights' and become the next President of France. Union power is diminished and everything went exactly to plan.
I agree with that argument. Those are the tactics generally used by politicians to get what they want. But I still think that "right to work" laws do little to benefit the common worker.
Actually they do. If you build skills, experience and knowledge with a company, and 3 of their competitors want you, and are offering huge salaries much better than you current employer, do you want the RIGHT to be able to take those jobs? Or do you want some silly contract saying you can't?
I think that most people there are out and protesting just becouse. 1. It's a cool thing 2. Have fun 3. Hate towards the upper class society