Earlier, we reported how French labor law enforcement officials had sniffed out Sephora for staying open too late on the Champs d'Elysees, and now they want discount carrier Ryanair to treat its employees equally under French labor laws and are levying a $13 million fine against the company for violations.

French authorities charge Ryanair with multiple violations, including the prevention of workplace councils from functioning and staff from having free access to unions.

Trouble is, Ryanair contends that its 127 employees at Marignane near the Southern port of Marseille actually work for the company's headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and thus are subject to Irish labor laws.

Ryanair is pursuing its dubious claim on appeal and says French officials are merely acting to protect domestic carriers such as Air France, which find it hard to compete against low-fare carriers such as Ryanair.