France’s Code du Travail

A young college student center brandishing the French work code during a protest against a jobs plan, known as the First Job Contract or CPE in Lyon, France Tuesday, March 21, 2006. Escalating protests in France center on a new job contract that allows employers to fire young workers within their first two years without giving a reason. This is designed to give employers flexibility, thereby encouraging them to hire more young people. For several days, tens of thousands of French students marched, chanted and whistled in renewed nationwide protests against a new labor law, as the government tried to maintain a united front for this pivotal test of the country’s direction. (AP Photo/Patrick Gardin)