IN THE HEARING ROOM
The former leaders of France Telecom have "sought the destabilization of employees": the Paris prosecutor's office began Friday afternoon to submit its requisitions, overwhelming the defendants tried for "moral harassment", ten years after suicides of employees.
"The obsession" with the departure in three years of 22,000 employees and the mobility of 10,000 people "has become the core business of the leaders of France Telecom," said prosecutor Françoise Benezech, who launched early in the afternoon. midday an indictment with two voices.
"The leaders are aware that they destabilize the employees"
Didier Lombard, the former CEO, Louis-Pierre Wenès, the former number 2 and Olivier Barberot, the former HRD, "the undisputed leaders of the managerial enterprise policy (...) can qualify their action thus: the moral harassment is my job ", continued the representative of the accusation. And to directly tackle the former CEO: "What a pity that a mind as organized as yours has put itself at the service of the only economic imperative to the point of making you deaf and blind."
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"It is undeniable that by planning restructuring with massive job cuts and mobility, (...) leaders are aware that they destabilize employees," said Françoise Benezech. "It can only weaken them," she added. "You are aware that your methods will degrade the working conditions," said the prosecution representative. "In reality, you are looking for this destabilization", it was "deliberate", she said. And to detail these techniques of destabilization, like geographical mutations, the absence of mission, or even changes of post aimed at breaking the marks of the employees.
At the heart of the trial, which focuses on the period 2007 - 2010: Next and Act plans, which aimed to transform the company in three years, including the goal of 22,000 departures and 10,000 mobilities. For the defendants, it must have been "voluntary", "natural" departures, but on the contrary, for the civil parties, the former leaders put pressure on the employees to push them to leave. Most of them were civil servants and therefore could not be fired. And contrary to what the defendants claim, "at the end of 2005 and beginning of 2006, France Telecom is no longer in an economic situation threatening its survival, and yet the crisis management mode is maintained until 2009", affirmed the Attorney.
"Rightly, we talked about a historic trial"
This is the first time a CAC 40 company is judged for "moral harassment". France Telecom incurs a 75,000 euro fine. Didier Lombard, Louis-Pierre Wenes and Olivier Barberot, as well as four other former officials found for "complicity", risk them one year imprisonment and 15,000 euros fine.
"The purpose of this trial is to demonstrate that the criminal offense of moral harassment can be constituted by a company policy, by the organization of work and qualify what is called managerial harassment", explained Françoise Benezech . "With this trial, you will use case law. (...) Rightly, there was talk of a historic trial," said the prosecutor.
The indictment must end at the end of the day. The trial, scheduled to end on July 11, will continue Monday with defense arguments.