French youths snub jobs bill negotiation

PARIS – Students on Saturday boycotted France’s prime minister’s invitation for talks about a contested jobs law making it easier to fire young workers, bringing a threatened nationwide strike a step closer.

The law lets companies dismiss workers under 26 without cause during their first two years on the job – a provision the government hopes will encourage employers to hire younger workers once free of protections that make firing difficult.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has said the law would dent a 22 percent youth unemployment rate that was widely blamed for stoking the riots of last fall. The rate soars to 50 percent in some of the troubled suburbs where the November unrest took root.

Villepin said Saturday he was ready to discuss modifying parts of the law. “I hope that, through dialogue, we can rapidly find a solution,” said Villepin.

The leading high school and university student unions refused to meet Villepin, saying they would only discuss repealing the law.

The lack of a breakthrough left France facing the likelihood of major transport disruptions in a strike Tuesday, and new street protests.

Civil aviation authorities said they expect disturbances and canceled flights. Britain’s Foreign Office advised travelers to avoid areas where demonstrations could take place.

Three weeks of protests have shut down dozens of universities and brought clashes with police.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy urged unions and the government to reach a compromise through Villepin’s offer for talks.

“Nobody comes out a winner if there are no discussions and no compromise,” Sarkozy said.

The impasse over the jobs measure has exposed France’s divisions about the direction of reform, between those who argue that new approaches are needed to free up the economy and others who insist change must not come at the expense of the country’s cherished social protections.

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