The Banque de France and two of its executives were convicted on Thursday by the Paris judicial court for failing to provide complete working hours data to staff representatives. The central banking institution was handed a 3,000-euro fine in the first instance for obstruction, known in French as a “délit d’entrave.”
Paris Court Convicts Banque de France Over Working Hours Data Obstruction
Individual Penalties for Executives Over Withheld Records
The central bank withheld comprehensive records regarding the daily working duration of its agents from employee representatives. In addition to the institution’s penalty, Anne-Sophie Martenot, the current director general of human resources, and Nathalie Aufauvre, the former secretary general of the ACPR (the banking regulation authority operating under the umbrella of the Banque de France), each received a 1,000-euro fine with a stay of execution for the same offense.
ACPR Staff Breached Legal Daily Limits
The judicial proceedings highlighted specific breaches involving staff time limits. Ms. Martenot and the Banque de France were jointly ordered to pay an additional 3,000-euro fine on a solidarity basis. This specific penalty stems from documented instances where workers at the ACPR exceeded the maximum legal daily working limits.
Union Accusations of Concealed Extra Hours
Labor representatives had repeatedly requested comprehensive daily work logs. Yet the institution failed to transmit complete records or notify elected personnel when employees worked beyond the legal ten-hour daily limit. Hugo Coldeboeuf, general secretary of the CGT Banque de France, told AFP that the institution attempted to conceal extra hours driven by intensified workloads meant to offset staff reductions.
“What the conviction ratifies is that they obstructed the elected representatives’ access to the agents’ working time,” Coldeboeuf stated.
Banque de France Defense and Appeal Plans
Conversely, the Banque de France defended its position through an official press release. The bank maintained that all necessary information had been delivered to the trade unions in the requested format prior to the launch of the legal proceedings. The institution has confirmed its intention to lodge an appeal against the court’s judgment.
