Clermont-Ferrand Court Affirms Employee Representation Body’s Right to Investigate Suicide at French Central Bank Subsidiary
The judicial court of Clermont-Ferrand has ruled in favor of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) of EuropaFi, a subsidiary of the Bank of France responsible for managing its paper mill operations, in its request to launch an investigation into the suicide of an employee.
EuropaFi had challenged the CSE’s decision to commission an external investigation by the firm Technologia, which was made in December following the employee’s death a month earlier. The company had denied that there were serious risks to its employees’ health and that psychosocial risks had increased within the organization.
A hearing was held at the Clermont-Ferrand court on January 28. This is the third suicide in 18 months within the Bank of France.
In response to an inquiry by AFP, the Bank "acknowledges the court’s decision and will ensure that the investigation by the firm fully complies with its terms." However, the institution regrets "the absence of a joint investigation and is therefore initiating an internal administrative inquiry to gather all the factual elements as soon as possible; the conclusions will be presented in accordance with the law," it continued.
"In its decision, the judge confirms the existence of a serious risk and links the increase in work-related suffering to the intensification of work," the CGT union, the majority union at EuropaFi and the largest union at the Bank of France, said in a statement.
"This is a great relief for the staff representatives and employees at the site who will be able to benefit from the assistance of an independent expert to analyze these psychosocial risks and propose effective preventive measures," said Maxime Abdelaziz, the CSE’s lawyer. "They are certainly hoping that this is the end of the management’s denial," he added.
EuropaFi has also been ordered to pay 1,000 euros to its CSE.
The employee ended his life on November 18 at his home. He worked at the paper mill located in Vic-le-Comte, in the Puy-de-Dôme region of France. According to some of his colleagues, the employee, who had recently separated from his partner, who had been his hierarchical superior at the Bank of France paper mill, was working in a toxic social environment.
According to the CGT union, "in his final evaluations, he wrote that he was ‘overwhelmed with work’, experiencing ‘a bad atmosphere in the department’, and ‘felt like he was doing three jobs’." The unions have repeatedly denounced the consequences of recent staff cuts, particularly in the fiduciary sector.
Additional Context and Commentary
The ruling by the Clermont-Ferrand court is significant for several reasons. First, it validates the CSE’s right to investigate workplace risks and to seek external expertise when necessary. This is an important principle that helps to ensure that employees have a voice in matters affecting their health and safety.
Second, the court’s ruling confirms that psychosocial risks are a serious issue in the workplace. These risks include factors such as stress, workload, and interpersonal relationships, and they can have a significant impact on employees’ mental and physical health.
Finally, the court’s decision demonstrates that the judiciary is increasingly willing to hold employers accountable for failing to mitigate workplace risks. This is a positive development that could help to reduce the number of workplace suicides and other preventable tragedies.
It is hoped that the investigation commissioned by the CSE will shed light on the circumstances that led to the employee’s suicide and will identify measures that can be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
