Telecom boss quits

France Telecom

Amid the controversy that surrounds France Telecom, comes the news that the second-in-command has resigned. This comes after weeks of criticism over the management's handling over a spate of suicides by employees.

The man who has resigned, is Deputy CEO, Louis-Pierre Wenes. France Telecom said in a statement, that Stephane Richard, a former chief of staff for France's finance minister who joined the company in July as head of international operations.

Wenes said in a statement to France Telecom staff obtained by AFP: "Despite the hard edge of the technological and economic fight, especially in our business, nothing can justify men and women putting an end to their lives. Today, like before, I cannot accept it."

Unions have blamed the restructuring at the firm for some of the 24 suicides by company employees in the last 20 months.

While France Telecom have said that the suicide rate is not unusual for a company of its size.

Between the years 2006 and 2008, the company laid off some 22,000 people.

Wenes and current chief executive Didier Lombard had faced calls to resign, but Lombard still has the support of the French government, which still owns 27 percent of the firm.

Last month, Lombard vowed to end the "spiral of death" at the firm by setting up a helpline, offering more psychological counselling and suspending all staff transfers.

A spokesman for the CGC-UNSA union welcomed Wenes' departure.

"We think that now conditions have been met for a change of strategy," Sebastien Crozier told the Associated Press news agency.

French unions have been demanding an end to the restructuring and any further outsourcing.

The most recent suicide was last week, when a 51-year-old father of two, Jean-Paul Rouanet, jumped to his death from a motorway overpass. He left a suicide note blaming the "atmosphere" at work.

France Telecom, which has 100,000 employees, has announced a raft of measures in response to the suicides, including the suspension of around 500 employee transfers that are part of an ongoing reorganization.

Management have also asked employees to watch out for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies among colleagues. French Labor Minister Xavier Darcos has ordered an official to monitor France Telecom's health and safety meetings following the suicides.

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