At the Pont de Chaume Clinic in Toulouse, towards the end of 2015, 130 employees went on strike for 51 days for better working conditions and better pay. Two mediators intervened in order to revive negotiations: Pierre G. from the local labor administration and Michel S. an independent lawyer and mediator. In an interview for the local newspaper Michel S. stated-"We need to consider much more the possibility of associating independent mediators like myself with local representatives of the labor administration like Pierre, who also plays a mediation role (through his conciliation activities). That would give us different perspectives which would be complementary and mutually enriching; in addition we could profit from the rich networks and resources of the state". Here we find certain typical features of the French recourse to mediation: it is usually brought in to tackle long declared conflicts between parties whose relationship is often oppositional and confrontational, with a history of poor negotiation and little compromise. The local labor administration (often work inspectors) is usually involved in some capacity, but a fourth actor is emerging, apart from the state, unions and management-the independent mediator, a member of a promising but as yet unstructured professional community.