On Sunday the French government and CGT union tried to reach some understanding concerning the labor reform, an effort which as it seems has failed. The CGT warned it would continue its campaign of stoppages and demonstrations to pressure the government to scrap plans to make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers.
On the other hand, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was quoted as saying that he is determined not to join a long list of politicians who have conceded defeat to protesters.
“If we gave in to the street and to CGT because we were obsessed over the short term by 2017 (presidential elections), we would lose everything,” Valls told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
The labor reform has sent Valls' approval rating down to 24%, its lowest since he became Prime Minister, according to a poll conducted by BVA for Orange et iTELE.
In the mid-1990s Prime Minister Alain Juppe triggered France's worst unrest in decades because he would not budge on pension reform. Eventually he did back down after weeks of industrial action and protests. He also resigned as prime minister in 1996, after his rating dropped below 25%.
Amid this situation, the government is also under pressure to find a solution before June 10 when the Euro 2016 soccer tournament starts, which the Force Ouvriere (FO) union had directly threatened to disrupt on Friday.
The prime minister spoke to all trade union leaders by phone on Saturday, government spokesman told France 3 TV. “This is a proof that nothing is completely finished […] We are ready to discuss, but not to give up” he said. However no agreement has been reached so far. Protests and strikes will resume this week.
“There will be no withdrawal of the text … We are not in '68,” government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told France 3 TV, referring to the student-worker uprising in 1968.
Meanwhile, France's fuel supply crisis is not yet over, the transport minister warned on Saturday. Following a meeting between the government and oil industry representatives, Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said the situation at fuel depots was improving though the crisis caused by the strikes was not fully over.
“In some regions the situation is almost back to normal. In other regions we remain attentive, but we cannot say that the crisis is over” Vidalies said. Vidalies added that action to clear the blockades at fuel depots could be continued if necessary.
Valls said he would not withdraw the text of the reform, which could make it easier for firms fire and hire. The government says the reform is crucial to fight unemployment which is at above 10% of the workforce. But unions argue the reform dismantles protective labor regulation and will not ease unemployment.
The text may be modified when it goes to the upper house of parliament for approval, Valls said. But the government would not go back on core parts of the reform.