The episode became a rallying cry for critics demanding action against "moral harassment" by bosses focusing ruthlessly on the bottom line at the expense of employees' well-being. The victims' families and unions accused France Telecom of systematic psychological abuse aimed at pushing out people at its nearly 23,000 sites across the country, including forcing workers to change jobs or to relocate for work. In July 2009, a 51-year-old technician from Marseille killed himself, leaving a letter accusing bosses of "management by terror." Lombard, who was forced to step down in 2010, a few months after the suicides became headline news, argued that he was battling to save France Telecom from bankruptcy after its privatisation in 2004. Claudia Chemarin, a lawyer for France Telecom, told the court it was not possible to prove any "intentional element of harassment with regard to each" of the victims.

Source: The Local December 20, 2019 10:52 UTC