The French government failed to convince student organisations in talks on Friday of the merits of its labour reform plans, and the unions stepped out of the meetings making renewed calls for street protests next week, reports Reuters.
Students and unions staged rallies across France on Wednesday, and more are scheduled for Saturday, Thursday and March 31st.
Just over a year before presidential elections, socialist President François Hollande, already deeply unpopular, has to find ways to tackle growing anger from left-wing youth organisations that would usually back him.
Hollande and his government have said they are willing to make some tweaks but want to stick to the main aspects of a reform that aims to loosen labour relations and make them open to negotiation at individual companies.
"We want that law to be withdrawn," William Martinet, the head of France's biggest student group Unef, which is close to the ruling Socialist Party, said after talks with Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his labour and economy ministers.
He told reporters that Friday's talks had only strengthened the union's belief that protests were all that could be done to persuade the government to change its mind.
Unef has for decades been close to the Socialist Party, and many of the party's top officials come from its ranks, some of whom are giving the union cash handouts to support its campaign.
Alexandre Leroy from students union FAGE, which says it represents 2,000 students associations, also called on students to take to the streets on Saturday.
"If nothing's done, we're heading to a dead-end," he said.