Unions in French Polynesia have decided to hold a one-day general strike at the beginning of next week to coincide with the first visit to Tahiti of the new junior French minister in charge of overseas territories, Yves Jego.
All but one of the major unions have issued the legally mandated strike warning which will expire for action to be taken on the 21st.
Their representatives met government ministers today and now warn that they may make their strike open-ended.
The strike call follows 16 claims which centre on grievances over the high cost of living, alleged degradation of employment conditions, and a decline in the area of health and education.
The unions also call for measures to secure better employment chances for locals.
The strike is expected to affect private businesses, the territorial administration as well as the French bureaucracy, including the civilians within the defence force.
Paris, which transfers hundreds of millions of dollars to Tahiti each year, has signalled retrenchments and reforms in the face of tightening fiscal conditions in France.
