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Wednesday Mar 22, 2006
French students protest new employment legislation
A perspective from Naima Bouteldja, a French journalist, on the recent protests among students in France, objecting to new legislation implemented by the "faltering" government of Dominique de Villepin to permit "employers to fire under-26s immediately and without reason during the first two years of their employment". Trade union leaders have called for a national strike next Tuesday.
Starting peacefully but with tension, students across the country succeeding in closing 16 universities and disrupting classes at 35 more, last Saturday saw 1.5 million people - mostly students - take to the streets in protest. By nightfall, there was rioting between the police and several hundred protestors in Paris, reminiscent to many of the violence across mostly poor suburbs of France last November.
Quoting sociologist Francois Dubet, Bouteldja considers that:
Middle-class students live in increasing fear that they may end up on the wrong side of the line at any moment. In this sense, "the anti-CPE ["contrat de première embauche", or, first employment contract] movement is for the middle classes what last November's riots were to the suburban poor", who were already on the other side of this boundary and could no longer tolerate it.
See what TheSite bulletin board users have had to say about it. As one person writes, "Why are French students so much more ready to rise in protest than British ones?"
Posted by Kirsten Olson ( 5:44 PM ) Link to this post Comments[1]Employer supported volunteering survey
An online survey is being conducted into employer supported volunteering (ESV) on behalf of the Volunteering Hub.
They're keen to hear from all sectors, including businesses that don't currently have an ESV programme. The survey should take just 15 minutes to complete.
Posted by Tom Green ( 11:45 AM ) Link to this postVolunteering bloggers wanted
YouthNet's volunteering website - do-it.org.uk is about to set up a series of exciting blogs looking at the world of volunteering,
We're looking for anyone who feels that they have something to say about either being a volunteer overseas, or who is working as a volunteer for a campaigning organisation.
Bloggers will be provided with full support and training to use our blogging tool, but the main thing you'll need is the enthusiasm to discuss what volunteering means to you right now and your personal experiences of the volunteering world.
For more details head over to our bloggers wanted article on do-it.org.uk.
Posted by Jim Valentine ( 11:18 AM ) Link to this post