'Bonjour - c'est Morocco ici'

French-speaking call centre workers could soon have to inform customers at the start of their conversation if they are calling from an offshore location under new rules.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said that the move by the French government comes in sharp contrast to the UK government which has dismissed anti-offshoring campaigns as "protectionist".

The initiative has been supported by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French finance minister, who wants operators to be required by law to announce where they are speaking from. He would still need to persuade the prime minister that his idea has merit before a final decision is taken.

Mr Sarkozy said: "I find it less shocking that operators should say where they are speaking from than that they should have to change their names in order to make them sound French."

Unions estimate that 12,000 jobs have been moved abroad or are at risk of being lost in France. However, some parties believe that France could find itself outside European Union law if it applied the rule.