October 6, 2009
A France Telecom employee committed suicide on Thursday, becoming the 25th staff member to kill himself over the past 20 months, a company official said.
The 48-year-old engineer hung himself in his Brittany home, one month after he had taken medical leave following a recommendation from the company doctor.
The latest death brought to 25 the number of employees who have taken their lives since February last year at France Telecom, a former state monoply that has been under major restructuring.
Many of the employees have left notes blaming management decisions or stress at work.
The telecoms giant, which employs 100,000 people in France and trades internationally as Orange, announced a raft of measures last month to end what chairman Didier Lombard called a "death spiral" at the company.
