In France the firing itself is a very strict procedure that includes a mandatory discussion between the parties. When an employer wants to fire an employee, her

In France the firing itself is a very strict procedure that includes a mandatory discussion between the parties. When an employer wants to fire an employee, here is what absolutly must happen for the procedure to be valid: - The employer appoints a meeting, with a formal convocation. The meeting can only happen 5 days at least after this letter (has to be a signed letter) - the employee can come to the meeting, and is often expected to, with a union representative. If there is no union representative in the company because of its size, the employer has to provide an official list of representative available for this purpose in the city. - During the meeting, the employer explains all the issues. At this point, if the employer provides the slightest hint that the firing decision is already made, the procedure is not valid anymore. - After the meeting the employer has to wait 2 days before they can notify the firing decision (or not). At this point, the employee has a termination period that can be between 1 and 3 months (often 3 months for developpers). If at any point the procedure is not valid, the firing is effective anyway, but the employee can appeal to the Prudhommes court, a special court composed of employers and union representative. The employee can not be reinstated in their job, but can get some compensation money.