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France's "Up All Night" protesters rally as parliament opens debate on labor reform

Xinhua, May 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

A group of "Up All Night" movement protesters rallied earlier on Tuesday in front of the National Assembly to demand the withdrawal of a labor reform as lawmakers are opening a debate on the controversial bill to change the labor code, according to local media reports.

In a peaceful sit-in, dozens of students and young people threw up their arm and blocked the access to the lower house of parliament, chanting "we deserve better than that," referring to the labor code reform.

"We want the work to be shared fairly. Hello lawmakers, we bring you back our complaints," protesters chanted before being dispersed by riot police, according to the reports.

Seven trade union and students organizations are staging protests in Paris and French cities to renew a call to drop the planned reform, which aimed at loosening labor rules by making layoffs easier, reducing overtime pay and economic redundancies and opening to negotiation working hours and holidays.

"The text must be withdrawn and we'll continue (protesting) to the end," said Philippe Martinez, head of main CGT trade union at the Invalides where a crowd has been gathered for a fresh action.

A group of rebel Socialist lawmakers opposed the bill which according to them "is not useful for France or for the common good."

"It is not in line with the reforms that one expects from a government of the left," they said in a statement on Monday.

The new wave of public anger came after the controversial reform reached the National Assembly earlier on Tuesday for debate.

"The time has come to allow parliament to embellish the text. Should we give in to street protests and pull this text? No," Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri told France's Le Parisien newspaper.

The minister added the bill needed as many as more 40 votes of support to secure a majority to pass it into law during a vote later this month.

If the government fails to win a large support, it could use a constitutional mechanism to force through the reform without a vote.

To Bruno Le Roux, president of the Socialist group at the National Assembly, forcing through the labor code reform via 49-3 decree and without lawmakers' approval "is possible but not desired."

Despite the government's new version of the text, unions plan to launch more protests on May 12. Enditem