Hate to say it Rc but the article is about what you would expect from a pro bush paper. I would even bet that the qoute used is about second or ninth hand and i doubt that was what was said. If you want an accurate take on what is happening in france that you can read stick with the BBC.
The main reason behind the demonstrations is that the contract, while the idea is good, has no safegardes built in. As it stands today the contract is totally open to abuse. A trail period of two years is totally ridiculous. In my experiance you know if you want to keep someone after 3 months. It is a great law for employers but not for employees.