This debate on effectiveness raises, even more openly today than in the past, questions concerning this branch of law, especially from the point of view of changes in certain countries. The first of these questions is certainly ‘‘politically incorrect’’ but none the less real: ‘‘what effective law for the benefit of whom?’’ (Ichino, 2006). Is labour law only effective for a particular group of workers, who are in fact well-protected, while it is only marginally beneficial to others – if, indeed, it does not legislate the precariousness of their jobs and rights? Taking the Spanish example, the main problems of effectiveness or ineffectiveness are apparently concerned with the high proportion of