PARIS: A decade after a wave of suicides at France Telecom in which 35 employees took their own lives, the telecoms giant and its former CEO go on trial Monday for"moral harassment".
Expected to last more than two months, it could result in a conviction for institutional psychological harassment. Prosecutors say the company and its chief executive at the time introduced a policy of unsettling employees in order to induce them to quit. Lombard, who served as chairman and chief executive between 2005-2010, inflamed the situation with remarks that came off as extremely callous, admitting he had committed"an enormous gaffe" when he speaking of a"suicide fad".The investigating magistrates' summary of charges, a copy of which was seen by AFP, it says Lombard put in place"a corporate policy aimed at undermining the employees.. by creating a professional climate which provoked anxiety".