More than 1,000 French dentists dressed in white surgical coats demonstrated outside the Health Ministry in Paris in Friday (9 April) demanding better financial returns from the Social Security service.

A leader of the demonstration said too many people believed that dentists lived well, but they needed more money. The dentists came from Paris and many provincial centres.

Their demonstration was one of several in France during the week. On Wednesday (7 April), workers employed at State-owned gas and electricity works went on strike, bringing power cuts to many areas, and halting the Paris underground trains twice. The following day entertainment workers stopped work, closing many cinemas and theatres.

The week of strikes and demonstrations was backed by France's two major trade union federations, the CGT and the CFDT. The action was taken to protest against continued high rates of inflation and unemployment.

SYNOPSIS: In Paris, more than a thousand dentists, dressed in their white surgical coats, demonstrated outside the Health Ministry demanding better financial returns from the Social Security service.

The dentists came from Paris and provincial centres for the demonstration -- one of several held in Paris during the week by trade unionists in support of more pay.

The week of action was organised by two major French trade union federations, the CGT and the CFDT, in support of higher wages.