> The Irish Times > FOREIGN Wednesday, June 11, 1997 > =20 > A demonstrator wears a mask depicting the new French Prime Minister, > Mr Lionel Jospin, as he carries a sign that reads "Vilvoorde will > live", a reference to the Belgian Renault car plant which is due to > close, during a march in Paris yesterday > =20 > Pascal Rossignol/Reuter=20 > =20 > _________________________________________________________________ > =20 > FRENCH UNIONS RALLY > FOR JOBS IN EUROPE > =20 > _________________________________________________________________ > =20 > Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris yesterday to urge > the EU to give higher priority to jobs and remind new French Prime > Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, of a campaign pledge to stop further > austerity. > =20 > Members of all major trade unions except the independent Force > Ouvri=E8re (FO) marched through the capital behind a banner proclaiming > "Europe for Jobs" in the first major rally since Mr Jospin's > Socialist-led government swept to power last week. > =20 > Unions want EU leaders at next week's Amsterdam summit to lay the > foundations of a more socially-minded Europe that lays more stress on > jobs and less on financial belt-tightening in a drive for a single > European currency. > =20 > "This demonstration shows a spectacular increase in awareness around > Europe of the need for all European workers to co-ordinate their > demands," said Mr Louis Viannet, head of the Communistled CGT union. > =20 > Ms Nicole Notat, head of the pro-Socialist CFDT, which is France's > biggest union ahead of the CGT, said: "Yes, we need the single > (European) currency. Yes, we need Europe for good economic development > but that won't be enough to build jobs." > =20 > The marchers included about 700 workers from French carmaker Renault's > Vilvoorde factory in Belgium protesting at controversial plans to shut > the plant. Mr Jospin promised during the election campaign to push > Renault to explore alternatives to the shutdown. > =20 > The French march was one of a series across Europe called by the > European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) for May 28th. French unions > postponed it until yesterday to avoid a clash with the snap > parliamentary election. > =20 > Mr Jospin has pledged to give top priority to reducing record 12.8 per > cent unemployment. He plans to create 700,000 jobs and cut the working > week from 39 hours to 35 with no loss of pay over five years. > =20 > He has also set conditions for joining the euro from 1999 and promised > he will not further tighten austerity to qualify. In addition, he has > pledged not to raise taxes overall. > =20 > Both the Socialist Party and the Communist Party, which has two > ministers in the new government that took office last week, had said > they supported yesterday's march. - (Reuter) > =20 > _________________________________________________________________ > =20 > =A9 Copyright: The Irish Times > Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
