France’s govt bows to police demands for pay boost

The French government bowed to police demands for a salary boost and decades of unpaid overtime, according to a statement issued early Thursday by the Interior Ministry. It said that two days of meetings with three leading police unions produced an agreement to boost pay. The deal comes after police officers – stretched by containing violent ‘Yellow Vest’ demonstrators and guarding against extremist attacks – staged their own protests, including at the main Paris airport. A statement by the unions said the government also agreed to pay years of overtime pay but details will only be worked out next year. The government said the bill amounts to nearly €275 million ($313 million), AP reports.