And yet, these same unions - in particular the communist- affiliated CGT - systematically cripple the country.

Usually, the "street veto" (as the highly organized and politically motivated militant actions are called) target reformers on the right, and, for this reason, France's Socialist Party, until recently presided by one François Hollande, traditionally does everything in its power to fan the flames (think CPE, pension reform, taxi reform, just about any other reform...).

However, in a classic case of "arroseur arrosé", the PS is now struggling with the monster it has fed, clothed, schooled and sent into battle against its political opponents for years. And the CGT appears to want a no-holds-barred approach against its erstwhile benefactor. So far, so classic.

But the famous labor law known as the Loi Khomri, after the sacrificial lamb designated by the PS to be beaten up by everybody, had been emptied of most of its substance. So why not declare victory and allow gas stations to be supplied with fuel?

Because, there is one thing in the Loi Khomri that cannot stand:

The Loi Khomri contains a profound reform of the role of unions in France.

It proposes to let actual workers and employees decided for themselves whether or not to accept proposed agreements within a company - instead of allowing party hacks to dictate terms. (Gasp!)

For the CGT and other unions, already ignored and avoided by the vast majority of French workers, this sounds the death knell for their extortion based minority rule system.

Thus, the fury.

FACT SHEET

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less than 8% of French workers belong to a union (5% private sector; 14% public sector) source: The Economist

the new labor law gives priority to company wide agreements over sector agreements, and priority to the direct vote of employees over the unions: source: Europe 1 (in French)

in 2014, after ten years of investigation, the CGT of EDF (which rules EDF's CCAS) was convicted of secretly funneling millions of euros from the richest CE in France to France's Communist Party: source Le Point (in French)

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