This is the imperative of the new direction of France Telecom

Forget the years "time to move". This is the imperative of the new direction of France Telecom. While the era Didier Lombard has been marked by 22,000 jobs and deletions by strong constraints of mobility imposed on the employees, the Director-General, Stéphane Richard, wants to make peace in the company. It is given priority is to disarm the social crisis that undermines the business in France for six months. Yesterday, he made with his assistant for the France, Delphine Ernotte, eight commitments of the group to "build the new France Telecom".

First employment. For the first time for 15 years, the group will stop to reduce its workforce. They will be "stabilized" with 3,500 hires. The 4,700 apprentices in the operator and the disabled will be the main beneficiaries. In addition, some 2,000 employees are likely to be interested in the agreement on part-time senior citizens, signed late 2009. Branch, who obtained the signing of two agreements, one on the private and professional life balance, on mobility, the other struggles reaffirms the decision of forced mobility. If an employee must change function or region, the decision will be "primarily based on the principle of volunteering", repeated Stéphane Richard. Less than three years of retirement, it will not pursue an employee to move. "We have not signed the agreement, because there remains a possibility to force executives to move to the national level", says Sébastien Crozier, the CFE - CGC. "This is the problem of double France Telecom culture: in the public service, it does not hesitate to transfer you to the other end of the country." To allow employees to stay here where they reside, management reiterated its willingness to "do everything to maintain the activities on small sites", for example in Alès, Abbeville and Voiron.

Leaders and social test

One of the most scrutiny may be the establishment of a social test for leaders key 1,100. The variable part, which weighs 30 to 50 of their salary, will depend on up to 30 of their "social performance" - and only the Ebitda, cash or the client. "I hear that this exercise be serious and credible," explained Stéphane Richard, which means that the new indicators will have to be developed in common with the trade unions. A satisfaction survey will be conducted regularly by an external firm. An important absenteeism rate can reveal an evil being in service. But the invention of such indicator "must not create a hunt to absenteeism", because then the tool would be double-edged.

France Telecom did not 107 proposals made by Technologia early March. After developed a devastating State of morale of the troops in crisis, this Office had pushed the operator suggesting to create "mediators". With 11 new suicides since the beginning of the year, France Telecom is always in a State of emergency. But mediation is "not desirable", while there are already more than 10,000 managers in the group, was recalled Stéphane Richard.

Another matter pending, the evolution of the organization chart, while the former Directorate could be subject to criminal after the requalification of three suicides and an attempt in "service accidents." The HRD Olivier Barberot "is not the operational support of the implementation of this plan", said Stéphane Richard, since Bruno Mettling, to succeed him in that position in 2011, will arrive in the group in April. The new Director General has called for "do not encourage the confrontation and division" - but heads may not have finished falling in France Telecom.