Union Calls for Investigation into Staffing and Work Conditions Following Agent’s Suicide

Following the suicide of an agent on September 12, an administrative investigation is already underway, but Solidaires Justice is now calling for an investigation in all services. A national delegation was received for the second time in a few months by the president of the court.

The union denounces a problem of understaffing, and an overload of work, “people who can do several missions at the same time, an agent assigned to a department who can be assigned to a department overnight for specific missions on an ad hoc basis, that completely exhausts people” assures Dimitri Frere, clerk, and departmental secretary of Solidaires Justice.

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Axelle Bauduin, chief clerk and departmental co-secretary also ensures that therapeutic part-time periods are not necessarily respected “they only work every other day or only in the morning but their workload is identical to full time (…) someone who is part-time in therapy should be preserved“.

The union also denounces a certain pressure from the hierarchy, result more and more work stoppages, particularly for burnout, others experience repeated illness in court, and others prefer to leave assures Dimitri Frere, + 400% of secondment requests in 4 years according to the unionist.

“there is a chronic shortage of staff”

“Valenciennes is unfortunately not an isolated case” deplores Axelle Bauduin “there is a chronic shortage of staff, therefore agents who are in difficulty, and there are management methods which are not necessarily appropriate which contribute to reinforcing unhappiness at work”. Moreover, the union speaks of cases also noted at the Douai Court of Appeal.

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Stéphane Bouchez national secretary of the union who is coming to Valenciennes for the second time, also fears for the litigants “if we have staff from the Ministry of Justice in distress, how can the litigants be well received? how can justice be well done.”

The trade unionist is demanding today a general investigation by the Ministry of Justice inspection to then put preventive measures for staff ““We should bring in a staff psychologist, and also a work ergonomist.”

When requested, the president of the court and the public prosecutor did not wish to communicate on this subject for the moment “As it stands, it seems difficult to us, in our capacity as heads of jurisdiction, to provide you with information while an administrative investigation is underway.”