France's Valls meets youth leaders over contested labour reform

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls talks to the press during a press conference with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal at the government palace in Algiers, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina

PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was to meet student and youth leaders on Monday in an attempt to defuse opposition to proposed labour reforms that have triggered public demonstrations and a nocturnal protest movement in several cities.

The labour bill seeks to introduce new flexibility in areas such as working time and industrial tribunal payouts, as part of reforms designed to make good on promises by President Francois Hollande to bring down an unemployment rate that has failed to drop below 10 percent.