France Telecom SA said Tuesday it has put all corporate restructuring on hold until at least the end of the year, the company's latest response to a series of 25 suicides by employees in a year and a half.
France Telecom announced the halt to restructuring following a new meeting with employee representatives called to address concerns over stress in the workplace.
In recent weeks the formerly state-owned telecom monopoly had suspended employee transfers and announced plans to limit them next year, following employee complaints that such moves were partly to blame for driving some of their colleagues to despair.
The CEO of France Telecom has come under fire for his handling of the continued suicides, but has said he will not resign.
Last week an employee at a France Telecom research and development center in Brittany committed suicide at his home — the 25th at the company in some 18 months.
Unions held protests at France Telecom sites around the country Tuesday to press for better work conditions. The former state-run company laid off some 22,000 people in 2006-2008.
