Street demos mark labour day

SHOPS are closed, buses are not running and thousands of roadside stalls selling lily of the valley have sprung up on street corners as France marks the Fête du Travail today.

It was Maréchal Pétain who made today a public holiday in 1941. May 1 sees demonstrations in most major towns and cities where trade union members march for workers' rights, the defence of jobs and salaries.

However this year not all the unions have agreed to take part in a joint march - with the CFDT and Force Ouvrière each opting to organise their own separate demonstrations, following different routes.

As well as work and workers, the first of May is associated with lily of the valley.

On this one day members of the public are allowed to sell sprigs of the delicate white flowers – as long as they respect certain rules, often modified by municipal bye-laws. The tradition is said to date to the Renaissance.

The flowers should typically be wild (eg. from forests), picked without the root, without packaging, sold on the street without a stand. You should do it more than 40m from florists’ shops.

It is thought selling le muguet (lily of the valley) generates around €15 million a year on the Fête du Travail.