Up To Date france

France Telecom must instigate radical change in order to address the problems within its workforce, which has been plagued by a spate of suicides, a report claims.

The study, commissioned by the company’s management after it emerged that 43 employees had killed themselves since January 2008, made 107 recommendations after carrying out interviews with hundreds of employees.

The report, which was leaked to the International Herald Tribune, suggested the company call a halt to disruptive reorganisation, closely monitor psychosocial risk factors and introduce a network of internal mediators to help deal with employee issues.

France Telecom spokesman Jean Bernard Orsoni confirmed that the details contained in reports were correct but added: “We don’t have a magic wand that we can wave and just fix the problem in a few weeks.”

The news comes just a week after Stephane Richard took the helm at the beleaguered communications giant and sources say the new chief executive will need to move quickly in order to address the issues within the organisation, which is a quarter owned by the French state and as such exists in a  limbo between big business and civil service.

The new boos has already announced plans to simplify the company’s management structures and improve their human resources management.

The company will now be meeting with union representatives to discuss the implementation of the recommendations.

The report concluded that “It is indispensible that actions accompany the talk.”

Iranian poet Simin Behbehani has been stopped from travelling to France to take part in an International Women’s Day event.

Ms Behbahani, 82, is reported to have been preparing to fly to Paris when she was prevented from leaving Iran by authorities.

She was travelling to the French capital at the invite of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. She had been booked to make a reading of one of her poems at the event in celebration of women as well as giving a speech.

However officials at the airport declined her permission to leave the country to travel to France.

The French Foreign ministry confirmed the reports and added that it found the Iranian decision regrettable.

In a statement issued yesterday, a ministry spokesman said Ms Behbahani was representative of the courage of Iranians in the face of oppression and said her “courage echoes that of many Iranians who, despite repressive measures, are leading a non-violent struggle to exercise their basic rights.”

Mayor Delanoe added: “Iranian authorities have just committed a new and unacceptable affront toward mankind in general and the dignity of women in particular.”

An Iranian opposition website reported that Ms Behbahani had told them she had already gone through customs and security checks when she was approached by a pair of guards who seized her passport in order to prevent her from leaving the country.

French activists staged a protest in Sete yesterday angry at the importing of Israeli goods made in occupied Palestine.

Thousands of protesters gathered in the Mediterranean port, the destination for much of the cargo brought into the country by Israeli food exporter Agrexco.

The activists claimed that much of the produce being shipped to France had been grown in Palestinian territories, and could not therefore be considered Israeli produce.

The dissenters, who travelled from across France to make their opinions known, were angered by the companies dismissal of a European Union Court of Justice Ruling that states that goods produced in the occupied territories cannot be considered Israeli and therefore should not benefit from the preferential tax rates enjoyed by the country.

The General Secretary of Pressure Group Tannich Coupe Sud De France told reporters: “The EU and Israel have agreed that Israel will get preferential import taxes on one condition, the goods should not come from occupied territories. But we know Agrexco grows its products in the occupied areas and is still benefiting from tax deductions.”

Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan, who joined the demonstrations, added: “It’s not an illusion that the economy will be demolished, it’s the image of Israel that we are trying to attack.”

Leaders of the protest told reported on the scene that illegal settlements in the West Bank currently produce a number of consumables including electrical goods, wine and sweets.