France probes alleged workplace bullying in PM's office after suicides

The Paris state prosecutor has opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations of workplace bullying in French government departments following the attempted suicide of a staff member linked to services under the prime minister's office.

According to a report by France Inter radio on Monday (Aug 3), two government employees working in different departments had died by suicide over the past year, while two others had attempted to take their own lives. It said complaints alleging workplace bullying had been raised.

According to France Inter, a staff representative lodged a complaint with the Paris prosecutor in June over alleged bullying in certain government departments. The prosecutor has since opened a preliminary inquiry. A document seen by France Inter and AFP stated that the complaint alleged "presumed institutional bullying" had contributed to a staff member's suicide attempt.

Alongside the prosecutor's inquiry, three internal government investigations have been launched. These cover both individual cases and wider concerns over workplace wellbeing.

The allegations relate to a group of dozens of government departments and missions operating under the umbrella of the French prime minister's services. France Inter reported that the staff member at the centre of the preliminary inquiry worked in a department responsible for handling correspondence for the prime minister's office.

The woman's lawyer, Christelle Mazza, told France Inter that her client had been excluded from the workplace. "My client had been made invisible. She was no longer invited to attend meetings, had been taken off the staff list, treated as if she was no one. She was mocked and jeered at as if it was playground bullying, ostracised," she said.

Mazza also argued that instability in government following President Emmanuel Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections in June 2024 had worsened working conditions for staff.

France had four prime ministers between June 2024 and June 2026: Gabriel Attal, who remained in a caretaker capacity, followed by Michel Barnier, François Bayrou and Sébastien Lecornu. No allegations of wrongdoing have been made against any of the prime ministers.

In a statement, two senior officials from the prime minister's services expressed support for colleagues and the families affected by the suicides and attempted suicides. They said staff psychological welfare remained "a constant priority" and announced that a specialist audit on workplace wellbeing would be carried out.