French students have begun new street protests in a bid to bolster opposition to the pension reform amid signs of cracks in the strike movement.
Their turnout is seen as a litmus test after five of the 12 oil refineries returned to work and rubbish collectors in Marseille suspended their strike, the British Broadcasting Corporation reports.
Union leaders said the protest was not over but suggested it would take different forms.
Parliament is due to hold its final vote on pension reform on Wednesday.
The vote in the national assembly, which would bring into law an increase in the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, is almost certain to pass.
President Nicolas Sarkozy will be hoping the vote, which coincides with the students‘ 10-day half-term break, will take the sting out of the protest, the BBC.
Mr. Sarkozy argues that pension reform is an inevitable measure in the face of France‘s rapidly ageing population and growing budget deficit.
However, his approval ratings have plummeted to a record low of 29 per cent, according to a poll published last Sunday.
Despite the holiday, students were gathering for demonstrations across France on Tuesday, with a march due to begin in the capital early in the afternoon.
On the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, two hours ahead of mainland French time, up to 2,000 people marched through the capital Saint-Denis.
A slogan reported by Reunion online newspaper Clicanoo read: ”Sarko [nickname for Sarkozy], you‘re finished. The youth are in the streets. There is one solution - to demonstrate.”
The protests appear to be staggered. For example, students in the central city of Tours are not due to gather until 1700 local time (1500 GMT), according to a post on Le Monde‘s website.
The newspaper‘s special live page also carries messages from readers speaking of riot police taking up position in Paris and Lyon.
Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux announced that five refineries had decided to go back to work, adding: ”That means that the return to normal is gradual but steady.”
All of France‘s 200 fuel supply depots were cleared of strikers on Monday and Energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has predicted that 80% of petrol stations will be operating normally on Tuesday.
Rubbish collectors in the southern city of Marseille ended a two-week strike and began a massive operation to remove more than 10,000 tonnes of trash.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon said strikers should back down, arguing the protest movement ”no longer
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101027201567
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