On 20 December, the correctional tribunal in Paris sentenced three former executives of France Télécom – the ex-CEO, deputy chief and human resources director – to a year in prison, of which eight months are suspended, as well as a €15,000 fine for moral harassment. The company, now part of Orange, was hit with a €75,000 fine. The matter dates back to the end of the 2000s, when a spate of suicides that occurred at the company revealed the human cost of a restructuring plan that sought to cut 22,000 jobs and transfer 10,000 workers over a period of three years. The court’s decision acknowledges, for the first time, that moral harassment can be caused by a company policy.
The decision comes after two and a half months of hearings, which took place during the summer. The cases of 39 employees (19 who committed suicide, 12 who attempted suicide, and 8 who suffered from a bout of depression or had to take time off work) were assessed. Over 150 people joined the proceedings as civil parties.
The defendants (seven in total) were accused of moral harassment under the penal code. The judgement therefore recognises that France Telecom’s company policy led to a form of in
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