Did Sarkozy bully Dati back to work?

Did Rachida Dati, France's glamorous Justice Minister, return to work five days after giving birth to her daughter, Zohra, because of “bullying” by her boss, President Nicolas Sarkozy?

That's the charge laid by the French socialist politician Segolene Royal, who ran unsuccessfully against Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election.

In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche, Royal accuses Sarkozy of placing Dati (pictured) under "extremely violent pressure" to return to work or risk losing her job.

He did this, she says, by choosing to announce radical plans to transform the French justice system - which is, of course, Dati's area of responsibility - within days of her giving birth by Caesarian section at the age of 43.

"His brutal, provocative and humiliating behaviour showed a total lack of respect,” says Royal, who has four children and was the first French minister to give birth while in office.

"Instead of reassuring and protecting her, he [Sarkozy] gave her a psychological shove in the back and left her with an impossible choice. Under employment law, that would be called workplace bullying."

Dati, whose rapid resumption of her duties has been criticised by women's groups, was entitled to 10 weeks' paid maternity leave following the birth.

While she says her decision to return to work last week was her own, commentators believe she was also anxious to get back to quash the continued speculation that she might be dropped from her job in a cabinet reshuffle because of a series of blunders during her tenure at the Justice Department.