The Brest criminal court acquitted Maël de Calan, president of the Finistère departmental council, on Monday. Nine recipients of the RSA (a French social welfare benefit) had filed a lawsuit against the elected official for workplace harassment. This decision brings to a close a legal battle that had mobilized several beneficiaries of this social benefit, supported by the CGT union.
A procedure launched in the spring
The case began last spring when six recipients of the RSA (French minimum income benefit) and the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) union summoned the head of the department and one of its managers to appear before the criminal court. The plaintiffs alleged institutionalized workplace harassment. The court then set the trial for June 15 and ordered the CGT to pay a deposit of €1000 and each of the six original recipients €300.
Maël de Calan has led the departmental council for several years under the right-wing banner. The ruling handed down on Monday brings to a close a legal dispute that had drawn attention to the relationship between the departmental administration and recipients of the active solidarity income (RSA) in Finistère.
