PARIS

One of the main unions representing firefighters in France issued a call Wednesday for an indefinite nationwide strike after the country introduced a law making it mandatory for them to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Autonomous Federation of Professional Firefighters and Specialized Administrative and Technical Staff (FA SPP-PATS) said the decision taken by French authorities is against the Constitution.

"The bill relating to the management of the health crisis, which provides for in particular and under penalty the compulsory vaccination of firefighters, violates the Constitution," it said in a press release.

FA SPP-PATS has 7,000 members and bills itself as the main union of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS).

Some 28,784 new coronavirus cases were reported in France in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s total number of infections to 6.20 million, according to health authorities.

Another 53 coronavirus-related fatalities were also reported, bringing the death toll to 112,081.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak