France biggest union says no agreement with rival on Sept strike

The CFDT, France's biggest private-sector union, said there was no agreement with the more hardline CGT union over the CGT's call for a strike on Sept. 12, adding it would make its decision once it sees the final draft of a new labour law.

"There is no agreement on this type of action," CFDT head Laurent Berger told Europe 1 radio on Wednesday. "The law will be on the table in the beginning of September. We will decide on our position," he added.

President Emmanuel Macron is promising more flexibility in the labour market with a reform due to be presented over the coming weeks.

The government is holding a series of talks with unions about the reform and is seeking special legislative powers to push the reform through parliament in the coming months without lengthy negotiations.

While the moderate CFDT has said that strikes and demonstrations were a last resort, the Communist-rooted CGT has promised a tough fight against the reform, which it sees as an attack on hard-won labour rights.

The CGT said earlier this week that the reopening of schools in September should be the time "to act on our discontent and to work on economic and social change".

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)