More than one billion francs (approximately £100 million) in emergency unemployment benefits was promised by the French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, yesterday in a belated attempt to win back his Socialist-led government's credibility after three weeks of protests by jobseekers. However, the offer was rejected by the protesters.
While Mr Jospin announced the setting up of an emergency fund to help the long-term unemployed, riot police moved into many of the 30 welfare centres being occupied by demonstrators claiming urgent payments of about £300 each to cover end-of-year bills. At other centres, mainly in Marseilles, demonstrators dispersed before police could act.
Mr Jospin was forced into a hurried decision after nationwide marches this week following sitins at offices managing unemployment contributions. Most of the marchers receive benefits averaging only £400 a month because they have been out of work for more than a year.
With about 1.1 million of France's 3.1 unemployed in the long-term category, there were fears of a much bigger explosion of discontent. Communist, Green and Socialist members of the governing coalition openly expressed sympathy for the demonstrations and directly or indirectly criticised the Labour Minister, Ms Martine Aubry.
Mr Jospin took his decision after meeting trade unions, employers and representatives of unemployed workers' organisations on Thursday. It was the first time that the unemployed had been consulted in their own right and Mr Jospin's offer of talks was taken by their leaders as an implicit apology for the slow reaction of the seven-month-old Socialistled government to the problem.
The prime minister, accompanied by Ms Aubry, said at a press conference yesterday that, although he was aware of "the disarray and profound distress" of the long-term unemployed, he was not prepared to approve inflationary measures that would overturn France's economic policy based on sharp growth to create jobs.
At a joint press conference held after Mr Jospin's nationally televised offers, leaders of three national action committees and a fourth, backed by the pro-Communist CGT trade union, called on their supporters to "continue mobilising" and to "pursue occupations" of dole offices. The protesters also called for a national day of action next Tuesday.
Meanwhile left-wing MPs rushed through measures that will guarantee unemployed people over the age of 60 a minimum revenue of about £500 a month.