During the French Revolution, the Le Chapelier Law 1791 was passed to prohibit unions or guilds and strikes in particular, with a proclamation of "free enterprise".
This established the right to organise a union, to bargain collectively, a legal right to strike, and was followed by enactments which limited the work week to 40 hours, excluding overtime, and guaranteed paid holidays.
The Grenelle agreements negotiated on 25 and 26 May, in the middle of the May 1968 crisis, reduced the working week to 44 hours and created trade union sections in each enterprise.
Addressing the demands of employers asking for more flexibility in French labour laws, the CNE sparked criticism from trade unions and opponents claiming it was lending favour to contingent work.
In France, the Inspection du travail is the body responsible for checking whether the provisions of the Labour Code or collective agreements are correctly applied in companies.