Paris (AFP)

Between 1,000 and 2,000 people, according to an AFP journalist, marched in Paris on Saturday to demand "the ban on dismissals", an initiative of the CGT of the tour operator TUI joined by other unions and supported by leftist policies , including LFI deputies.

"66 million anti-dismissal prosecutors", could one read on a sign in this procession which left shortly after 2:00 p.m. from the National Assembly, in the direction of the Medef headquarters, in the 7th arrondissement.

While TUI, the world number one in tourism, plans to cut up to 601 out of 900 jobs in its French branch, the company's CGT elected officials launched this call to demonstrate.

Dozens of CGT sections but also SUD / Solidaires of branches or companies affected by social plans such as Sanofi, Cargill, SKF or General Electric have joined the initiative.

A few dozen "yellow vests" and several elected officials from the left took part in the demonstration, including the deputies of rebellious France Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Clémentine Autain and Adrien Quatennens.

Speaking to the crowd about the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 crisis, the president of the LFI group in the National Assembly noted that "many people believed that in the common misfortune, everyone would take their part".

But "while the rich got richer", "we have marched on 80 layoff plans per month, a million people have become poor" and "hundreds of thousands" of French people no longer have access to water, electricity or even food, enumerated Mr. Mélenchon.

He reiterated his wish for a "state of social emergency" to be declared, accompanied by a "ban on layoffs throughout the pandemic period".

© 2021 AFP