French phone giant tries to halt wave of suicides

France's national phone company has held a mass emergency meeting to discuss a wave of staff suicides blamed on redundancies and cuts.

France Telecom's head of human resources Olivier Barberot held a conference call with all 20,000 managers in response to the latest suicide on Friday, the 23rd since February last year.

Afterwards the company had a moment of silence in remembrance.

"There will be a clear message to all the managers to quickly organise local team meetings to explain what happened and what's being done, and to make sure that if there are problems they can be discussed," said a company spokesman.

The suicides come as French workers across several sectors are suffering from the global financial crisis, and seeing widespread redundancies and other cuts. Unions say some of the suicides are linked to working conditions.

Last week France Telecom announced a series of other measures in response to the suicides, including suspending around 500 employee transfers that are a part of a continuing reorganisation.

The management has asked workers to watch out for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies among colleagues.

The latest suicide, and the one to spark top-level government concern, was a 32-year-old woman who threw herself out a fourth-floor window of her office building in Paris on Friday. She worked in the debt-collection service of Orange, and had been involved in discussions on cuts.

Two days earlier another France Telecom employee tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the stomach during a meeting just after he learned his post was being scrapped.

The 22nd suicide occurred on August 29, when a 53-year-old technician in charge of certifying high-speed internet transmission fittings was found dead in his bed in Brittany.

His sister said he left a letter to family and friends that said there was "total disorganisation" at France Telecom and that the company and job were responsible for his suicide.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
India and Shimla
14 nights from only £1899pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from £199pp Find out more
4* Soreda hotel break, Malta
Seven nights all-inclusive from £399pp Find out more
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Science Teacher

£21000 - £36000 per annum: Randstad Education Crawley: We are currently recrui...

Food Technology Teacher

£21000 - £36000 per annum: Randstad Education Crawley: We are currently recrui...

2nd in Charge of English (with Media Studies)

£21000 - £36000 per annum: Randstad Education Crawley: We are recruiting for a...

2nd In Charge of English/Head of Department

£21000 - £35000 per annum: Randstad Education Crawley: Qualified English Teach...

Day In a Page

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

Masculinity in crisis?

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
Have US shock jocks gone too far?

Have US shock jocks gone too far?

An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies

Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell
'He will always be a friend': Jackie Stewart backs Polanski

'He will always be a friend'

Jackie Stewart backs Roman Polanski
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in