French employment law allows employers and employees to agree on the termination of the employment contract by mutual consent. Such termination must be formalized through the implementation of a “rupture conventionnelle homologuée” (“RCH”) which requires adherence to a formal procedure including, among other things, the requirement to obtain approval from the Labour administration.
Employees’ working time is a hot topic in France, the 35 hour week being the centre piece of working time regulations in France. Although the 35 hour week has been repeatedly criticized over the years, it has remained mostly unchanged. French law also includes more specific and complex provisions for various categories of employees.
Normal
Under French employment law, employers are generally free to determine the remuneration package to be provided to their employees in accordance with the working of the free markets. However, such liberty is traditionally limited in particular by the principle of equal work for equal pay and the obligations relating to minimum wage.
In this respect
The matter of age discrimination is a particularly sensitive issue in France, where the relatively high unemployment rate of young and aged persons is structural.
In this context, there exist specific legal provisions particularly with regard to the employment of young workers. There is also a national-interprofessional collective bargaining agreement with respect to older workers
Under French law, all employees are granted a right to paid annual leave, which consists of a statutory minimum number of days subject to any more favourable provisions applicable under any collective bargaining agreement to which the employer (or the sector of business in which the employee is active) is party, the employer’s internal practices