Abstract

The Author analyzes the evolution of employment legislation in France over the last fifteen years. He associates the recent changes in labour law with the loss of legitimization that this piece of legislation undergoes as a result of its being considered as one of the causes of unemployment. The Author examines, in turn, the role of collective bargaining and the influence of public employment policies in the evolution of labour law. He describes the changes in employment legislation as the end result of three tendencies: the rise of a "right to work", the increased flexibility in the use of manpower, the development of the rights of personality within the labour law relationship. As regard the future perspectives of labour law, and the calls for deregulation of the employment relationship, the Author pin points that the regulative function of labour law cannot be removed.