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RMTnews :: april 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 24 Rail and urban transport workers were at the forefront of the most powerful and united trade union action France has seen for over 10 years. National rail and city transport services were severely disrupted as millions of private and public sector workers and students took to the streets to protest against the right-wing government’s unpopular and controversial youth employment law. Conservative Prime minister Dominique de Villepin’s “First Job Contract” law (CPE) aims to allow employers to dismiss workers under 26 without reason during the first two years of employment. But unions say the CPE is tantamount to treating workers as slaves. France has a 9.6 per cent unemployment and one of Europe ‘s most shameful youth unemployment records. The official jobless rate for under-26s is 23 per cent and this rises to 50 per cent in underprivileged suburbs of major cities. There have been five days of protest since the law was passed in late January. Numbers rose to well over three million in 135 towns and cities on March 28 - including 700,000 workers and students demonstrating in Paris. Meanwhile, students remain on strike at 60 universities. The number of French people supporting the action has risen to 63 per cent - and to 73 per cent of the under-30s. One quarter of conservative electors also oppose the CPE and many MPs of the ruling UMP Party criticise the prime-minister for not consulting the unions before the bill became law, as he promised he would. The Prime minister offered late talks on possible minor changes to the CPE but the unions want the measure withdrawn and the adoption of a new law that genuinely tackles unemployment, especially among young people. Unions and students’ organisations have called a fifth day of strikes and demonstrations for this month, supported by the Socialist, Communist and Green opposition parties. Meanwhile, a decision of France’s Constitutional Court is awaited to see if the law is in conformity with the constitution. The Court can empower the French president to ask parliament to review a law, even if it already has been passed, thus giving the government a way out of the crisis. FRENCH TRANSPORT WORKERS IN FOREFRONT OF JOBS BATTLE From Jeff Apter in Paris INTERNATIONAL FOCUS