Truckers blocked motorways across France on Tuesday as opponents of proposed labor law reforms began a fresh wave of strikes and street marches. This week has been billed by media as make or break for a protest movement that has appeared to lose steam after weeks of sometimes violent confrontation. President Francois Hollande stood firm, saying on radio that the law — a flagship reform that would make hiring and firing easier — would not be scrapped, and warning that police would not tolerate violence. "I will not give in," the Socialist leader, whose popularity rating is at rock bottom a year from an election, told Europe 1 radio. The truckers are employees rather than owner drivers and so were not at the wheels of their lorries. However, they were able to slow or blocked traffic at strategic points in the north and west, most notably in the Bordeaux region, where they turned away deliveries to a major supermarket supply hub and a fuel depot. Marches in Paris and other French cities were scheduled for later in the day, when rail workers are set to join the fray with stoppages expected to cause major disruption for commuters through to Friday. Hollande said over 1,000 people had been arrested during clashes with police over recent months, with more than 300 police and a number of protesters hurt in clashes where some, including foreigners, were coming just for the fight. "People have a right to protest but rioting is an offense that will be punished," he said. France's police chief said ahead of a week of tension that a small group of hard-line protesters had been banned from the streets of Paris. The hard-line CGT labor union has called for rolling strikes by rail workers, dockers and airport staff as well as two days of street demonstrations, on Tuesday and Thursday. Turnout numbers from police suggested protest numbers fell at rallies last week to tens of thousands from the hundreds of thousands that took part in earlier ones — fueling speculation that the protest movement is weakening. The government has already watered down its initial labor law reform project, but last week decided to bypass parliament and force the change through by decree, causing splits within its own ranks in parliament. Its plan would allow employers to opt out of the obligations of national labor law in favor of pay terms and conditions set at company level, a change opponents see undermining labor protection rules to an unacceptable extent. Truck drivers say freight company employers will be among the first to take advantage by setting lower overtime rates that could knock thousands of euros off annual wages.
