French economy minister pelted with eggs

French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron reacts as he visits the Arkema plant in Pierre-Benite, near Lyon, France, June 2, 2016. At R, Mayor of Lyon Gerard Collomb. REUTERS/Robert Pratta

Emmanuel Macron, the French Economy Minister was pelted with eggs when militants of the hardline CGT trade union cornered him at a post office in the Paris suburb of Montreuil.

The minister who was at the post office where he was launching a stamp to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the “popular front” government that gave French workers new rights, got on the wrong side of hard-line unionists on a day planned labour reforms disrupted rail services for the sixth straight day.

Macron, who advocates economic reforms to loosen rigid labour market rules and promote flexibility and competition, has become a bogeyman for traditional leftists.

“It’s all par for the course but it won’t have any impact on my determination,” Macron told reporters after the attack, saying there was no economic future for those who resisted change.

Despite the incident, participation in strikes and protests against the labour reform is dwindling, with just 8.5 per cent of rail workers still on strike, the SNCF state railway said ahead of crucial negotiations between management and unions over a reorganization of working time.