France Telecom boss quits over suicides

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Louis-Pierre Wenes was deputy chief executive in charge of the giant company's French operations. He will be replaced by a former top civil servant in the French treasury Stephane Richard who joined the company in July as head of international operations. In a brief statement France Telecom said Wenes had "asked [France Telecom chairman] Didier Lombard to relieve him of his responsibilities."

Lombard has also been under pressure from opposition socialist parties to resign his position. The company has been heavily criticised by trade unions who claim that management's handling of its restructuring had led to widespread stress among its workforce with 24 employees committing suicide in the last 18 months.

France Telecom has laid off 22,000 workers in the last three years but still has 100,000 employees.

A spokesman for the CGC-UNSA union, Sebastien Crozier, welcomed Wenes' departure. The company was due to hold a meeting today between unions and management to discuss a threatened strike this week.

The latest suicide was last week, when a 51-year-old man jumped off a bridge onto a motorway in the Haute-Savoie region. In a note found in his car, the father of two blamed his act on the "atmosphere" at his workplace.