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.
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