French labor reform: Students clash with police in protests against new laws

Global Business

Students clashed with police on the streets of Paris as hundreds of thousands protested the French government’s new labor reform.

Though the government said it is making labor laws more flexible to revive the country’s economy, trade unions said it is an attack on job security. CCTV America’s Owen Fairclough reports.

This marks the second time this month students and protesters clashed with police as France turned out for the biggest demonstration against sweeping labor reforms.

While unemployment here is the highest in Western Europe, ministers want to make France more like neighboring Germany by increasing short-term contracts and encouraging company, rather than state-level, employment deals.

Opponents to these new reforms said it will threaten job security, weaken trade unions and end the cherished 35-hour work week by compelling people to work longer hours.

French President Francois Hollande is looking for reelection in the next year and hopes the change secure him a win.