Day 9 (Feb.13) of the strike and, for now, tourists are still arriving. However the hotel we are staying in, in the capital, says it has had between 20 and 25% more cancellations since the start of the strike.FRANCE 24 Having waited for hours before the truck arrives, watching the fuel be delivered becomes a spectator sport. FRANCE 24 Day 10 (Feb.14) of the strike, newspaper's front page celebrates the re-opening of petrol stations for the day. In this picture: Willy Bracciano. FRANCE 24 Outside mini-market. This shop opened at 7:30 am in order to try and offer some crowd control. Yet as the hungry shoppers swelled in numbers, it was difficult to control and many complained of a lack of organisation. On average it took two hours to get inside the store. If you were not in by 11:00 am you could not get any milk or bread. FRANCE 24 A chance to stock up on groceries for the first time in 10 days, say mothers and fathers struggling through the crowds with their children. FRANCE 24 Trying to find any way in.FRANCE 24 On Saturday, 45 petrol stations across the island opened to the public. If only for a few hours, until supplies ran out again. FRANCE 24 Some drivers got in line at some stations as early as 11:00 pm the night before.FRANCE 24 Just a few hours after opening, supplies of bread and milk are gone.FRANCE 24 A busy day for staff at checkouts. In this photo: Willy Bracciano.FRANCE 24 With little access to shops, some buy more than they can carry. FRANCE 24

Eve Irvine and Willy Bracciano in Fort-de-France, Martinique

Representatives of the Collective Against Exploitation, an umbrella union known by its French acronym, the LKP, are meeting with employers and representatives of the French state in Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest city on the Caribbean island.

Hundreds of demonstrators accompanied the union representatives as they made their way to the first meetings on Monday, chanting slogans such as “Guadeloupe belongs to us, it’s not theirs”, and “We’re here to negotiate”.

Reporters' notebook: no end in sight for crippling strike FRANCE 24 Observers on why Guadeloupe is going up in flames Face-off: a revolt overseas? Web News: Guadeloupe tensions move to the Net Ask our correspondents FRANCE 24 Debate: Crisis in the French Caribbean

Olivier Besancenot, spokesman for the newly created radical French political party NPA, accompanied the marchers. He is visiting the island to “learn” from the social protests.

At the negotiating table were local political representatives, LKP spokesman Elie Domota, and two mediators sent over by the French government.

The union’s principle demand since the strikes began on Jan. 20 has been the 200-euro after-tax pay rise for low-income earners, and it is regarding this demand that talks seem to have reached an impasse.

Negotiations ceased on Friday evening before the weekend’s memorial ceremony held for Jacques Bino, the unionist who was shot dead last week in his car at a road block.

Feedback from the different groups represented at the talks show that caution was the order of the day.

Located in the Caribbean, Guadeloupe and Martinique are overseas departments of France with the same status as departments on the French mainland (le métropole). Guadeloupe is a group of five islands with a population of 400,000; Martinique a single island also with around 400,000 residents. The French government is represented by a prefect, appointed by the French president. Daily affairs are managed by councils elected by popular vote. The islands send representatives to the National Assembly and the Senate in Paris. Unemployment: 22.7% in Guadeloupe (compared with 8.1% in mainland France). Poverty rate: 12.5% in Guadeloupe (6.1% in mainland France). Racial composition: majority black, with significant white and Indian populations. The economy is largely in the hands of the "békés", the local name for white descendants of colonial landlords and plantation owners.

The president of the French employers’ federation, Laurence Parisot, stated on Monday that the negotiations were “very complex”. Urging caution, she added that, “we are not as close to reaching an agreement as one may think.”

Observers believe that road blockades could easily be built up again by protestors if the negotiations were to run aground, but no incidents were reported on the island on Sunday night - the second peaceful night in a row. Nearly all the road blocks were dismantled over the weekend by security forces.

 
In the French overseas territory of Martinique, which was on its 19th day of strikes, the unions called for a hardening of social protest action after employers failed to agree to all the conditions on pay rises.