France’s La Poste is taking action after a third suicide at the company in six months by openingup a dialogue with postal unions and employees and is ready to implement measures related to health
at work.The most recent case concerns a 42-year-old worker who was found hanged at the Trégunc sortingcentre in Brittany last Sunday. He has been on medical leave since November last year and returnedto his workplace to “carry out his terrible act”, French media reported.
Already on 29 February, a 28-year-old La Poste manager ended his life by jumping from the upperfloor of the central post office in Rennes, also in Brittany, as a result of reportedlyunsatisfying working conditions. Following his death, police and the committee of health, safety,and working conditions of La Poste in Rennes started an investigation to examine the circumstancesof his death.
In September last year, another La Poste employee working in Paris jumped from the fourth floorof the financial centre where the 52-year-old woman had resumed work after a long medicalleave.
Since this first suicide, the French postal unions have been criticising what they describe as “appalling” working conditions at La Poste asking for the suicide to be recognised as a workplaceaccident.
“La Poste prides itself of improving the working conditions of its personnel – an approach farfrom reality. Everything is getting worse and unfortunately, tragedies occur,” the French unionSud-PTT lamented.
The CGT union also criticised “an explosion of suffering at work” and urged La Poste’smanagement to “take concrete action to stop what could become a morbid process”. The union claimedthat the company achieved good results in 2011 at the cost of over 10,000 job cuts and an increasein sick leave.
In response to this latest suicide, the company said it was overwhelmed by the tragedy, sharingthe grief of the affected family. La Poste immediately organised psychological support for thecolleagues of the deceased man.
CEO Jean-Paul Bailly announced the launch today of a so-called “listening process” concerninghealth at work where all the postal unions could express their views. After this initial step, thecompany’s senior management will make a first series of proposals.
The second stage of the listening process will involve all participating parties including theGroup’s agents and managers, health specialists and external experts. Following the second stage,proposals will be submitted before summer as Bailly stressed this measure is intended for “decisionand action”.
