April 5, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1427

PARIS, April 4: Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded the scrapping of a new hire-and-fire youth job contract on Tuesday in giant rallies across France as unions rebuffed concessions by President Jacques Chirac. Union leaders said they had matched last week’s day of action with more than three million joining a one-day strike and demonstrations that were being closely watched for signs they had peaked after the softer line adopted by Mr Chirac.

Police put the national turnout at 1,028,000, slightly down on last week, with 84,000 in Paris where unions said 700,000 marched. Strike action proved less disruptive than a week ago.

In Paris and the western city of Rennes police used teargas on hundreds of youths hurling bottles and stones in a repeat of violence after last week’s rallies. The clashes continued as dusk fell and police in Paris arrested at least 206 people.

Two months of sometimes violent protests have sunk the approval ratings of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, the main champion of the disputed First Job Contract (CPE) and undeclared conservative candidate for 2007 presidential polls.

A new poll showed a 14-point fall in his popularity in March to 28 percent, a slump pollster BVA said it had rarely seen in 25 years.

“The only solution is to scrap it (the law),” Lisa Mancin, an 18-year-old student said at the main rally in Paris, where protesters in colourful costumes chanted “Withdraw, Withdraw, Withdraw the CPE!”

Mr Chirac’s conservatives have stopped short of agreeing to withdraw the law but, faced with sliding poll ratings and internal rifts, hinted they could make concessions.

Mr Villepin told a rowdy parliament session the government would not ‘throw in the towel’. But the long-time Chirac ally risked being sidelined as Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, his main rival to lead the right in 2007 presidential elections, emerged as a possible broker to end the conflict.

“I hope these rallies will help us deal it the fatal blow,” CGT union chief Bernard Thibault said of the CPE, which gives firms the right to lay off under-26s any time in a two-year period.

“This turnout is all the more remarkable because it comes only a few days after the intervention of the president, who clearly was not understood and whose message is not shared,” he later told the iTele channel.

‘VIRTUAL PRIME MINISTER’: CPE backers say it will free up the labour market by allowing employers to bypass French laws which make it hard to lay off workers once on their books — often cited by firms as a disincentive for taking on staff.

One placard depicting Villepin as an angel read: “In memory of a virtual prime minister”, while many wore stickers stating: “One solution: revolution against global capitalism”.

Unions said turnout was the same in major provincial cities as a week ago but higher in smaller towns. Nevertheless, strikes caused less disruption with public transport largely unaffected.

Chirac has urged a softening of parts of the legislation, for example halving the trial period to a year, and his conservatives signalled further possible climbdowns.

“We’ll be ready as of tomorrow to receive the unions ... There won’t be any limits to the talks,” said Bernard Accoyer, parliamentary chief of Chirac’s conservatives.

Thibault said unions would attend the meeting but took a hard line: “What we want to obtain from lawmakers now is a swift repeal before any negotiations on other subjects.”

Chirac’s declaration on Friday that he would sign the CPE bill, even as he called for amendments, was seen as a bid to stave off the possibility Villepin would resign.

But the move to ask the ruling UMP to mediate a solution appears to have weakened Villepin and boosted party leader Sarkozy, who will now have a major role in any changes.

Sarkozy, who heads a rival faction to Chirac and Villepin within France’s right, makes no secret of his hope of being the main conservative candidate for president in polls next year.—Reuters