French PM Lecornu huddles with unions as cost-of-living fury boils over

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu sat down with employers' organisations and private-sector unions in Paris on Monday, hunting for an answer to the cost-of-living anger that has fuelled some of the country's worst civil unrest in years. He is due to lay out his measures at a press conference later in the day, and a modest bump to the minimum wage is expected to be among them.

The money is tight. The government says its mounting debt leaves it with little room to manoeuvre, even as it scrambles to cool tempers. The minimum wage already went up by €35 in June, now at €1,478 ($1,659) net per month, a move made to track higher inflation.

Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou, expected at Monday's talks, has said he'd like to see it clear €1,500 net — as long as the increase doesn't "harm employment". The unions want far more. The CFDT, France's largest, is pushing for €100 net, while the hard-left CGT is demanding a 10% rise, roughly €150 net.

CGT chief Sophie Binet wasn't impressed with the likely offer. "The hike can't be €5, the price of a kilo of tomatoes," she said Monday, adding that "anger won't disappear just because the government has announced a few extra euros for the minimum wage."

The demonstrations began in French high schools in September and have since widened into a broader outpouring over living costs, public services and political stagnation.

It all lands five months before France's presidential election. Polls currently point to a run-off between far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and hard-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon. President Emmanuel Macron, finishing his second term with low approval ratings, is barred from running again.