After a series of suicides

France: Ex-manager sentenced for bullying

Archive image from 2019: The former head of France Télécom in court(Bild: APA/AFP/Lionel BONAVENTURE)

Following a sensational series of suicides at the former French telecommunications giant France Télécom, which was later renamed Orange, the final verdicts against several ex-managers for institutional bullying were handed down on Tuesday.

The incidents took place more than 15 years ago. The managers at the time implemented a program to cut more than 20,000 jobs in the Group by 2009. They are said to have deliberately driven employees to despair in order to make them resign. The years-long trial involved around 40 employees, 19 of whom committed suicide.

Archive image from 2019: Louis-Pierre Wenès was also involved in "management by terror".(Bild: APA/AFP/Lionel BONAVENTURE)

"Management by terror"
"Management by terror" prevailed at the company, wrote one employee in his farewell letter. An employee threw himself in front of the train, a woman threw herself out of her office window, a technician stabbed himself in the stomach - these and other terrible stories became known at the time.

At first instance in 2019, the former boss Didier Lombard was sentenced to four months in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros, while his deputy Louis-Pierre Wenès and the former head of HR Olivier Barberot were also sentenced to four months in prison. On appeal, the sentences were increased to one year's suspended imprisonment. The country's highest court has now confirmed the guilty verdicts. The appeal has been rejected and the sentences against the top managers for institutional bullying are therefore final, the Court of Cassation in Paris announced. 

75,000 euro fine against company
This was the first time in France that a company of this size and its management personnel had stood trial for bullying. Orange accepted the maximum fine of 75,000 euros imposed on the company back in 2019.