What is the Ideal Labour Code?

France – the middle country – continues to fine tune its labour code with a view to adapting its production capacity to the varied and changing contexts and the legitimate desire to protect employees from the ups and downs of the economy. But does this compromise lead to the best or worst of both worlds? Two issues which will undoubtedly focus our attention and shape our expectations in terms of reform over the coming years. On one hand, issues remain concerning the multiple forms of employment contracts. Powerful voices are urging France to adopt a single form of employment contract while others point out that the massive use of very short-term temporary contracts reflects technological and organisational developments. Is the temporary/permanent employment contract issue a real handicap for French companies and the attractiveness of France as a whole? On the other hand, the appropriate level of collective bargaining power in terms of wages and working hours is still being hotly debated. Like Germany, shouldn’t we favour company agreements over sectoral or national agreements, which would lead to a significant change in the role of elected staff representatives in the corporate governance process?