Sun May 15, 2016 18:05:33
Police used tear gas at a demonstration against controversial labor reforms and alleged police violence in the French city of Rennes on Sunday.
Defying a police ban on the demonstration, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Charles de Gaulle esplanade only to be pushed back by police forces using tear gas grenades.
The protest comes two days after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday survived a no-confidence vote prompted by a divisive labor reform.
Facing almost daily protests and legislative gridlock, the government decided to use a special measure to push the bill through without a vote in the lower house of parliament.
The labor reform is the boldest any French government, left or right, has tried in years and has unleashed daily, often-violent protests across the country.
The legislation will not abolish the 35-hour working week, but will allow companies to negotiate deals for up to 48 hours a week or 12-hour shifts. It will change rules for layoffs in companies, to create more flexibility during downturns - under conditions depending on the size of the businesses. Rennes has seen two months of protests, some of them violent, AP reported.
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