A report in the French newspaper Liberation earlier this week has stirred up a hornet's nest as yet again the question of resort worker wages has been raised by the French authorities.

The basic problem is to do with the French minimum wage, which British tour operators steer clear of by factoring in the cost of accommodation, food, liftpass and other benefits. However, it seems the authorities want to impose strict French employment legislation on bar, restaurant and hotel staff from Britain and other European countries, forcing operators to pay a higher basic wage.

The result could be interesting. After years of working for £50-£100pw, workers could see pay rises and shorter hours, although tour operators would suffer a massive increase in costs.

Two British firms are already being prosecuted for what investigators claim is their failure to respect existing legislation.

Who has got it right? Liberation reports the usual stereotype that workers are on a 'paid all-inclusive holiday' so they can 'sleep little, eat badly and drink a lot'. Well, two out of three ain't bad!

More on this story next week.