French President Francois Hollande's effort to revamp that country's labor laws hit a snag when representatives of French employers and unions were unable to reach a deal late Thursday night after hours of negotiations. The talks, scheduled to resume Friday, reached an impasse over the issue of welfare charges on short-term contracts. Hollande has imposed a nominal deadline of January 15 for both sided to reach a deal, but is determined to push ahead new labor laws this fiscal quarter regardless of whether an agreement has been reached or not.
See "Deal still elusive in French labor reform talks", Nicholas Vinocur and Yann Le Guernigou, Reuters, January 10, 2013