A 'copernican revolution' in French industrial relations: Are the times a'changing?

In 1998 and 1999 France passed the sixth and seventh laws in seventeen year s affecting working time. They offered financial incentives to firms signin g collective agreements that created or protected jobs and cut the legal wo rking week from 39 to 35 hours from 1 January 2000. Early evidence suggests that while their direct job creation effect is limited they are moderating wage settlements and leading to more flexible working patterns. In this pa per I situate the new, hour laws within the long historical tradition of st ate political intervention over working time and argue that this remains a key element in reforming French industrial relations.