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UNIONS CALL FOR MORE MONEY FOR WORK TRAINING AND ROLL BACK OF TAX CUTS. UNION leaders hope at least two million people will take to the streets for a national strike on March 19 – a

follow-up to January’s jeudi noir. They hope to equal or better the two million figure they claim was reached in the protests of January 29. Unions organised the strike in protest at what

they say is a lack of government action to protect ordinary people in France in the face of the economic crisis. The March 19 was organised before a summit between unions, government and

business leaders in February which was called after the January strikes. President Sarkozy said the proposals from the summit would not be changed by the strike. Presidential advisory Henri

Guaino said: “We are not going to make a new relaunch plan after every protest.” CFDT leader François Chérèque is calling for the abolition of the “paquet fiscal” – a series of measures

aimed at lightening tax launched by the president in 2007 (for example cutting tax on overtime). He says money saved could be ploughed into a new “social investment fund” which is being set

up to fund work training. Prime Minister Fillon said any extra money on top of that already promised would only mean more debt. Social Affairs Minister Brice Hortefeux said the French

response to the crisis – street protests – was “quite original.” “I’ve noticed we’re the only European country doing this,” he added. Photo:Afp/Michel Gangne