A landmark legal case is bringing national attention to the growing crisis in France’s public hospitals, as ministers face accusations of moral harassment and manslaughter following a series of suicides linked to worsening working conditions.
A powerful legal challenge has been launched against the leadership of France’s public health service, as families and healthcare workers seek justice following a troubling series of suicides linked to working conditions in hospitals.
19 plaintiffs – including grieving widows, widowers, and healthcare professionals – have filed a formal complaint with the French Court of Justice, targeting Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, Higher Education Minister Élisabeth Borne, and Minister Delegate for Health Yannick Neuder.
They accuse the ministers of "moral harassment and manslaughter" and include allegations of "intentional violence resulting in death and endangerment".
Thier move, confirmed by lawyer Christelle Mazza and reported by France Inter radio and Le Monde newspaper this Monday, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing battle over the state of France’s public healthcare system.
On social media, the UNSA - CHU union representing health workers posted: "The deteriorating working conditions over many years and the fear-based management methods are at the root of these suicides. The silence cannot continue, and the state must take responsibility for the cause of these deaths".
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Deterioration of working conditions
While Vautrin’s team has declined to comment for now and Borne has yet to respond, the gravity of the accusations is clear.
The complaint paints a harrowing picture of a health service under intense pressure, citing "deadly working conditions", "totalitarian management" and "organised impunity" dating back to around 2012 – 2013.
According to Mazza, the situation worsened dramatically with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, accelerating the deterioration of working conditions across the country.
In her remarks, Mazza drew comparisons to the France Télécom scandal – a case where top executives were found guilty of institutional harassment following a string of employee suicides.
"If this were a private company, the managers would already be behind bars and the operation shut down," she said.
The Court of Cassation – France's highest court – has since ruled that any deliberate corporate policy that degrades working conditions with the intent or the effect of reducing staff numbers can constitute institutional harassment.
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Unbearable schedules
The complaint highlights "unbearable schedules" and relentless pressure in medical units across various areas of expertise and regions of France.
It details methods of control designed to push staff to breaking point, including unlawful requisitioning, forced overtime, and threatening behaviour.
Tragically, lives have been lost in the process.
The case cites a hospital in Alsace where in September 2023, an occupational health nurse died by suicide in his office.
His farewell letters blamed a toxic combination of workplace harassment, impossible targets, and complete lack of support.
Elsewhere, two student nurses at a psychiatric institution also took their lives.
And in Paris, the AP-HP hospital group is now the subject of a separate complaint, again for institutional harassment.
Despite repeated warnings, the plaintiffs say little has been done to address the crisis. "Alerts raised individually or systemically have been ignored," their compaint reads. "There’s been no political will to change course".
