Pacific

Paris court annuls French Polynesian employment laws

11:42 am on 27 November 2009

The French supreme court has annulled two French Polynesian territorial laws aimed at protecting jobs of locals.

This follows a challenge by the French high commissioner, Adolphe Colrat, who believes that a law restricting 95 percent of public service positions to French Polynesians violates French constitutional provisions for equal access.

Another local law, passed under the autonomy provisions, required job applicants to have lived in the territory for five years to be eligible to work.

The changes were passed by the French Polynesia assembly almost unanimously.

The Paris court has now ruled that the laws were not in line with the French constitution.