French Polynesian unions have gone to France's top administrative court over the government's Covid-19 package, saying it violates labour laws.
The French Polynesia parliament building Photo: RNZ
The five main unions said they rejected the provision that workers had to use up all leave before being eligible for any emergency support payment.
To counter the sudden joblessness and in the absence of any unemployment insurance, the assembly last month approved a raft of measures including a temporary $US900 monthly payment for employees whose job had gone.
The same support was made available for self-employed people who could prove that they had been forced to abandon their activities.
A total of $US280 million had been budgeted for the emergency but the disbursement of the extraordinary financial support was limited to no more than three months.
The labour minister labelled the unions' move criminal because if the court action succeeded the entire relief programme would fall over, making the crisis even worse.
The government said it was assured by France that it would get funds as part of its national solidarity but for there had been no concrete answer to a request for help.
57 people tested positive for Covid-19 and one of them is still in hospital.
Lockdown restrictions have been widely eased in islands outside Tahiti and Moorea but a territory-wide nightly curfew remained in force.
Tourism, as a key plank of the economy, had been worst hit by last month's suspension of air traffic but pearl farming and the fishing sector had also been hit by the lockdown.