Moral harassment in France Telecom. In case of appeal, bigger fines are required

The public prosecutor on Friday asked the Paris Court of Appeals to slightly increase the first-instance sentences for institutional misconduct against former France Telecom executives following the suicides of a number of employees in the 2000s. He was the former executive director of the group in 2005. Until 2010, Didier Lombard and his former second-in-command Louis-Pierre Venez were sentenced to one year in prison in 2019, including an eight-month suspended fine of 15,000 euros. On Friday, the prosecutor petitioned for one year of imprisonment, including a six-month conditional fine.

The prosecutor, as in the first instance, petitioned to convict them only for 2007-2008, to release them for the facts following that period. Six months of probation – a fine of 10,000 euros – was demanded for four former officials who are complicit in the crime. According to the prosecution, Didier Lombard ուի Louis-Pierre Venez “designed and implemented“politics”Industrial, collective և methodical moral harassment“, via”Prohibited methods“As a result of which”Deterioration of working conditions“I”thousands of employees“Some of whom committed suicide.

During the session, the case of 39 employees was examined. 19 have completed their working days, 12 have tried to do so, 8 in 2007-2010. They had an episode of depression or termination of employment during the period. The two former executives of the company, which became Orange in 2013, have “They used their knowledge, experience and talent as industry captains to the detriment of the interests of France Telecom agents, whom they were obliged to protect.Seven hours after the indictment, Deputy General Valerie De Saint Felix.

“Regardless of costs”

According to the prosecution, the goal was to get 22,000 employees to leave through the Next Plan, introduced in 2006, and և 10,000 to relocate others without making cuts or an economic protection plan to overcome technological transformations. և Fierce competition. The goal of mass labor deflation, which the company’s management privatized in 2004.knew the impractical“Without”moral harassment“- assessed the chief lawyer Yves Michele.

However he maintained it, he insisted, “regardless of cost“Until the summer of 2009 and the outbreak of the crisis during the day. And this thoughbrokenNumerous employee alerts launched in late 2006, in particular by occupational medicine unions. Motives for leaving, overtime, racks, intimidation, over-intrusion control, geographical or functional mobility. The prosecutor recalled the whole circle that was used to push the employees who were considered undesirable to leave, starting with “is in constant instability«Եւ»isolated«.

According to the Chief Lawyer, this new human resources policy was still in placeAbove, almost militarily, there was a decline at all levels of the hierarchy«. «Managers were persecuted and became harassers“They have been trained”to bother scientifically: is financially encouraged to get as many starts as possible.

The “legend” of Didier Lombard.

At the top of this chain, according to the prosecution, is Didier Lombard. During the trial, the 80-year-old former CEO found refuge with his high-ranking official, away from the field, to relieve him of all responsibility. «Completely false legend. Didier Lombard not only gave instructions, but he was well informed about the elevators“Alarms have been given,” said the chief lawyer. As for Louis-Pierre Venes, according to the prosecution, he “remained faithful to the suggestions of Didier Lombard, without formulating the slightest reproach«.

The two leaders were formedtriowith former ombudsman Olivier Barbero, who was sentenced to the same sentence in a court of first instance who withdrew his appeal. The first CAC 40 company was sentenced to “moral harassmentInstitutional France Telecom, which became a symbol of suffering in the workplace in the late 2000s, did not appeal the decision, which fined it a maximum of 75,000 euros.