Spotlight: Street protests, strike present harsh test to proposed labor reform in France

As the showdown between officials and unions over labor reform heat up, hundreds of thousands of students on Thursday walked out from universities and secondary schools across France's main cities to show their determination to protest reform.

Joined by trade unions and workers, thousands of demonstrators responded to protest call, the fourth this month, and gathered in Nation square in Paris despite cold, rainy weather.

"Today there is a strong mobilization. It is already a success. The government needs to hear and take into account what's happened in the streets," Philippe Martinez, general secretary of CGT union told BFMTV.

According to CGT and FO unions, 1.2 million people protested in French cities on Thursday against a plan to reform the country's strictly codified labor code.

However, the police said 390,000 protested across the country.

Up to 28,000 demonstrators participated in the French capital's rally, the Paris prefecture said.

Labor unions said 100,000 protested in Marseilles, France's second largest city. In the southwestern town of Toulouse, unions said 100,000 people took the streets while police figures showed 20,000 participants.

Dozens were arrested in Paris and eight others in Toulouse after they threw bottles with flammable liquid and stones at police officers.

Police used tear gas to disperse hooded youth demonstrators in Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Rennes, local media reported.

French President Francois Hollande plans to loosen labor rules by making layoffs easier, reducing overtime pay and economic redundancies and opening to negotiation working hours and holidays.

French unions and leftist politicians, however, say such move would create more low-paid jobs and further reduce salaries.

In a further sign of mounting pressure, strikes in railway and airports were reported in France where 24.2 percent of train workers stopped working, causing major disruption of services mainly in Paris and suburbs, the National railway company SNCF said.

The French Civil Aviation Authority said 20 percent of flights were cancelled at Orly airport and a third at Marseille airport.

At midday, the education ministry said the protest shut 176 schools out of 2,500 across the country.

In order to absorb public anger, the French government revised its reform by adding a clause making additional compensation pay for dismissed workers indicative and no binding guideline as requested by some social partners.

In addition, it pledged more financial aid to the poor, young people and reinforced training for unskilled people without work

Despite the changes, students and unions plan fresh protests on April 5 and 9.

In a statement, the CGT trade union said it would continue the movement until "the bill's withdrawal."

"This government must realize that we are not at the end of a social movement. It is instead the beginning of a mobilization that will be extremely strong," William Martinet, head of student union Unef told news channel iTele.

On March 24, Labor Minister Myriam El Khomry presented the reform in a cabinet meeting before passing it to lawmakers. The vote on the text is scheduled for May. Endit