On July 5, 2016, the body of a Carrefour employee was discovered hanged in the technical room of a hypermarket in Meylan (Isère). This executive, responsible for the non-food sector, committed suicide at the age of 58 after 38 years in the service of the group.
A USB key with his initials is found next to him. In a “logbook”, the employee describes the moral harassment suffered for months by his superior. Harassment recognized this Thursday, June 29 by the Social Chamber of the Grenoble Court of Appeal, which confirms the conviction at first instance of Carrefour for inexcusable fault.
From 2006 to 2016, while the hypermarket was in full expansion, the workforce fell by 20% to 25% for executives alone. In February 2016, the regional manager gave the new director of the Meylan site the objective of reviewing the management structure, going from two to one non-food manager.
“There is the festival”, he relates in his diary. “He asks me my age. He had already said that above the age of 55, intellectually it becomes difficult”
A few days later, the director addressed to his subordinate, precisely responsible for the non-food sector, first disparaging remarks that the latter began to transcribe in his logbook.
To his repeated requests for an explanation, the boss of the store refuses any interview. In mid-June, the two men meet in the store. “This is the festival”, he recounts in his diary. “He asks me my age. He had already said that above 55, intellectually it becomes difficult. “Do you have your correct number of quarters?” Perhaps retiring is the solution? »
The manager records dozens of examples of various pressures, denigration, public humiliation or intimidation, an attitude described by the labor inspectorate as ” management by fear in his report after the tragedy.
At the same time, the employee’s workload continues to grow, in particular due to the director’s refusal to recruit four fixed-term contracts which he usually uses for the spring and summer season. On May 25, the manager records, for example, having worked 18 consecutive hours in addition to having “broken back”. « I think he’s pushing me over the edge to crack.”he wrote the next day.
He describes his increasing stress and his nights getting shorter
He describes his increasing stress and his nights getting shorter. Until the morning of July 5, 2016 and his last message, addressed to his boss:“Sir, I love our great company, I have no doubt that it is imperative to change things, but the way to get there is important. You can’t throw people away just because they’re old and expensive. My act of despair must serve. »
On June 29, 2023, the Social Chamber of the Grenoble Court of Appeal recognized the inexcusable fault in the context of this fatal work accident. Carrefour must pay 60,000 euros to his widow and their two daughters for damages of affection, before a more global expertise of the damage suffered.
“On the criminal level, they also filed a complaint for moral harassment against Carrefour and this store manager. Only the latter is referred to the Correctional Court of Grenoble, for a hearing scheduled for October 5th. details the lawyer for the rights holders, Me Fessler. Contacted, the management of the Carrefour group did not respond to our questions.
2023-07-03 23:57:44
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