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  World   Europe  10 Jun 2020  Contract workers stage flash-mob protest in Paris over job loss

Contract workers stage flash-mob protest in Paris over job loss

AP
Published : Jun 10, 2020, 8:11 pm IST
Updated : Jun 10, 2020, 8:11 pm IST

France spent billions on temporary unemployment benefits but contract workers in the food and special events industry were left out

A contract worker from the food, catering and events industry in France, left out of Covid-19 budget measures, put her sign in a coffin during a flash mob on Place de La Concorde in Paris Wednesday June 10, 2020, to call attention to the impact the sanitary crisis is having on their lives. (AP)
 A contract worker from the food, catering and events industry in France, left out of Covid-19 budget measures, put her sign in a coffin during a flash mob on Place de La Concorde in Paris Wednesday June 10, 2020, to call attention to the impact the sanitary crisis is having on their lives. (AP)

Paris: Contract workers from France’s all-important food, catering and events industry have held a protest between the Louvre Museum and Champs-Elysees to spread the message that the virus pandemic is killing their jobs.

The flash mob-style demonstration included about 30 people dressed in black simulating strangulation with their ties and putting signs reading “sentenced to death” into a coffin.

France’s government spent billions on temporary unemployment benefits for workers, but contract workers in the food, catering and special events industry were not included.

Anne-Laure Boggio is a maître d’hôtel in Paris and isn’t sure how she and her family will make it through the year.

Boggio said: “I gave birth last year, using up parts of my unemployment benefits, now with COVID, I used the rest of my benefits. ...“In September, I don’t know if I’ll receive welfare allowances, and I have two mouths to feed.”

Although restaurants and national borders are gradually reopening in France, tourism is expected to remain muted. Large gatherings are banned until at least the end of the summer, making it difficult for people like Boggio to find employment.

Tags: contract workers, flash mob protest, job loss, coronavirus, covid-19, unorganised sector