Daily News

View All News

France – Worker fired after more than 700 temporary contracts for same company over 30 years

06 July 2015

An unnamed temporary worker has taken staffing firm ManpowerGroup before an employment tribunal in Paris after he was fired in late 2013, having worked on more than 700 temporary contracts for the same company over the course of 30 years, reports lavenir.net.

Régis Verbeke, a representative of union Force Ouvrière (FO), which is supporting the former temporary worker in his case, said that he was fired simply because he asked to be transferred to a permanent contract.

The now 55 year-old arrived from Mali in 1982 and up until December 2013 worked on 703 temporary contracts for one company, Placoplatre, which manufactures plasterboard.

The contracts lasted anywhere from two days to several months, his lawyer Harold Lafond explained, but they were always at Placoplatre.

According to Mr Verbeke, there are several other temporary workers in comparable situations but they are afraid that if they go to court that they will lose their jobs.

The unnamed temporary worker has also lodged a complaint against Placoplatre Group with the Labour Court. He has requested that they reclassify his temporary assignments as a permanent contract.

While this would not result in his regaining his job, he hopes to receive tens of thousands of euro in compensation.

Under the French Labour Code; the use of temporary workers can have neither the purpose, nor the effect of permanently filling a post connected with the normal, permanent business activity of the user company.  

The case is currently ongoing.