[Unions blame work pressure for the suicides at France Telecom]
French companies are being urged to do all they
can to prevent stress in the workplace after a spate of
suicides.
Labour Minister Xavier Darcos wants the 2,500 biggest French
firms to negotiate anti-stress strategies with unions by February
2010.
At France Telecom, 24 employees have taken their own lives since
2008.
As part of the announcement, firms in the process of
restructuring are being asked to factor in the psychological risks
of the transition.
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Speaking to a council on work conditions, Mr Darcos said that
because physical risks were easier to spot than psychological ones,
they were often underestimated.
He added that this had been demonstrated at France Telecom "in a
particularly tragic way".
'Statistically not unusual'
The government, which is France Telecom's biggest shareholder
with a 27% stake, has been closely involved in trying to manage
reactions resulting from the suicides.
Unions blame restructuring and work pressure at the firm for the
tragedies, saying that some staff are being left behind in the
firm's transformation from a government agency to a private
company.
But France Telecom says the rate of suicides is statistically
not unusual for a company with a 100,000 workforce.
According to the World Health Organization, France had an annual
suicide rate of 26.4 for 100,000 men in 2008. The rate for women
was 9.2 suicides per 100,000.
Psychological risks
As part of the measures, Mr Darcos also called on small and
medium-sized companies to spot problems early, with support from
workplace health services.
He confirmed that a dedicated body would be created to advise
firms and monitor those which were slow to act.
A report will be made public on a dedicated website and a second
plan on workplace health will be put forward by the end of
2009.
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