Police teargas protesters in Paris as unions rally over minimum wage (VIDEOS)

As demonstrators marched in a union-organized rally over the minimum wage, French police again deployed tear gas on protesters in Paris as violent scuffles broke out.

The ugly scenes occurred as France’s largest union, the Confédération générale du travail (CGT), held a rally in the capital.

The CGT called for a general strike across the country on Tuesday to protest against the decline of purchasing power for workers and demanding a fairer tax system.

READ MORE: French police talk about shooting Yellow Vest protesters in a leaked tape

Thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville and began marching along the Rue de Rivoli to the Place de la Concorde, RT France reports.

The union were joined in the demonstration by the left-wing La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France) party, the Solidaires (Solidarity) union and members of the Yellow Vest movement.

Clashes broke out as the protesters neared the Tuileries Garden and video from the scene shows the police using tear gas on demonstrators.

The protest comes amid months of Yellow Vest demonstrations in France which began as a means of expressing opposition to government-proposed tax hikes on fuel. The tax increases have since been shelved but the movement has expanded to tackle other issues of discontent.

The policies of French President Emmanuel Macron are routinely slammed by Yellow Vests who accuse the French president of favoring the rich.

Ten people have died since the protests began in November including in traffic incidents as the demonstrators set up roadblocks and protests on roundabouts.

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