5. Labor inspectorate

5.1 Status

The Labour Inspectorate is governed by the provisions of International Labour Organization Convention No. 81, which sets out its essential means of action and guarantees its independence (this treaty, ratified by France, is incorporated into the domestic legal system).

Labor inspectors are civil servants, recruited each year by competitive examination. Inspectors are trained at the Institut National du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle (INTEFP), near Lyon, for a period of eighteen months.

Labor inspectors are bound by a duty of discretion with regard to any information they acquire in the course of their duties (Code of Ethics, Labor Code, article R. 8124-22). They must not reveal manufacturing secrets...