A New Caledonian court has sentenced 23 members of the mainly Kanak USTKE union to jail terms of up to a year over last January's clashes with police in Noumea.
Among those to be jailed is the USTKE leader, Gerard Jodar, who was given a six-month jail term for directing striking workers during a prolonged fight near a bus depot at the centre of a strike.
His conviction also includes a deprivation of his civic rights for three years.
The other 22 were given jail sentences from one month to one year.
The ruling has been denounced by USTKE which says the colonial justice has delivered a verdict never seen in mainland France in a similar situation.
Unions in France have reacted to the decision in Noumea, with one saying this will only add fuel to an already tense situation.
