The global temporary employment giant Adecco was fined 50,000 euros in Paris on Wednesday March 13 for discrimination in hiring and racial registration, more than 20 years after the events. The company was the subject of a complaint from the SOS Racisme association after the discovery of a file containing the names of mostly black temporary workers who were then excluded from certain missions.
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THE Franco-Swiss group Adeccoas well as two of its executives, were sued by former employees and anti-racist associations for having set up a system of discrimination based on skin color, through the file “ RP 4 », containing the names of predominantly black temporary workers.
The Paris Criminal Court rendered its decision based on “ a bundle of clues » allowing us to establish “ the existence of ethnic registration and discrimination » from the temporary employment company Adecco against some of its employees.
The defendants, Olivier P. and Mathieu C., former directors of the Montparnasse temporary employment agency, were sentenced to a fine of 10,000 euros, of which 7,000 were suspended.
The court recognized their involvement in this “ filtering based on skin color » without having been at the origin, while not having “ nothing put in place to put an end to it “. Between 1997 and 2001, the agency that the two defendants managed, located in the Montparnasse district of Paris, allegedly had some 500 black temporary workers, excluded from certain missions.
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Missions to the French government
A judicial investigation was opened in 2001 in Paris after a complaint from the SOS Racisme association, which had been alerted by a former employee responsible for recruitment in the same agency.
Specializing in catering, the latter worked in particular with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eurodisney and the Société des wagons-lits.
During the trial, the defendants argued that the criterion “ RP 4 » did not qualify skin color but “ a mix of professional experience and interpersonal skills of the candidate », notably his mastery of French. “ I have never condoned or practiced discrimination, there is a huge paradox, I have spent my life fighting against discrimination », Explained Olivier P., now retired after 17 years at Adecco.
Explinations ” fanciful », According to the prosecutor. “ You have to want to believe it “, she then quipped.
The public prosecutor had requested a fine of 50,000 euros against the temp company, as well as a three-month suspended prison sentence for the two former agency directors.
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