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-- OriginalOwner_ [tinyurl.com] writes:

from the workers-not-taking-it-lying-down dept.

Russia Today reports [rt.com]

Rennes has been engulfed by violent protests over [proposed Reactionary changes to labor law] that will see longer working hours for less money. The rallies have been happening since March 31, with hundreds of thousands taking to streets all over France.

In the [protest of May 14], demonstrators set cars on fire, attacked a bank, vandalized buildings, threw objects at the City Hall and drew slogans on its walls.

[...]In response, police in riot gear attempted to disperse the rally with tear gas.

[...]"The whole city center is shut down", Rennes resident Julien Fleurence told RT by phone, adding that a helicopter has been flying above the city.

"Walls have been put up, there are barriers and anti-riot policemen who prevent people from reaching the city center so that they don't smash everything as they did last night", the eyewitness said, adding that the previous night "up to 300 people reached the city center and started to smash [things] there."

[...]The [proposed Reactionary changes to labor law] will allow employers to negotiate longer working hours and lower overtime pay--a measure that has angered French labor unions.

It has only been a couple of months since the movement against the labor reforms was launched, but some of the rallies have been violent. In April, over 20 demonstrators were injured in Rennes, and police [have used] tear gas to disperse protests all over the country.

Fresh protests in April drew comparison with the Occupy movement in the US. The rallies have taken place all over France: in Paris, [Marseilles], Rouen, Rennes, Toulouse, and other cities.

SputnikNews adds Over 100 Rallies Staged in France Amid Labor Bill Standoff [sputniknews.com]

A new wave of demonstrations hit France [May 17] as thousands took to the streets of Paris and elsewhere to protest a bill that will relax hiring and firing rules, in a bid to curb the rising unemployment.

We should note that the previous method used to deal with unemployment in France was to reduce the workweek (to 39 hours in 1981 and to 35 hours in 2000) without reducing take-home pay.

So, what do Soylentils think of working longer hours and getting lower overtime pay?

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