Several employees denounce institutionalized mistreatment, with verbal violence, physical threats, leading to cascading resignations and an increase in sick leaves.
An investigation for moral harassment targets the coordination center for cancer screening in Île-de-France, based in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. According to information from franceinfo, three complaints have been filed against the medical director, as well as a procedure at the Prud’hommes. Several employees denounce institutionalized mistreatment, with verbal violence, physical threats, leading to cascading resignations and an increase in sick leaves.
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Adèle* chose to testify at the microphone of franceinfo and says that she preferred to move far, very far from Paris, at the end of December 2022, to escape this toxic climate. “JI wanted to cut everything, do something else“, she says, and before leaving this employee of the cancer screening center of Île-de-France decides to go to file a complaint, “for her and for others“. This complaint for moral harassment targets the medical director of the regional cancer screening coordination center in Île-de-France, the surgeon Jérôme Nicolet. At the time, the young purchasing and public procurement manager had not slept for months.
Each day ends in a fit of tears: she forgets to get out at the right metro station, mixes up her appointments, can no longer concentrate. In question, according to her, the daily bullying of the medical director, humiliations in a meeting in front of all the management, intimidation, even threats, until this violent altercation in a corridor of his office.
“He blocked me against a wall, he yelled at me, I couldn’t defend myself. He said he was going to ruin my end of contract and the rest of my career”
Adèle, former employee of the Ile-de-France cancer screening centerat franceinfo
The report of the psychiatrist of the medico-judicial unit of the Hôtel-Dieu intended for the judicial authority mentions “a significant psychological impact compatible with the facts denounced “.
“He lies, he manipulates and always pretends to be the victim”
Same scenario a few months earlier, in the summer of 2022: Marine *, another employee, also initiates proceedings at the Labor Court for unfair dismissal and moral harassment. She also says she was violently verbally abused in her office by Dr. Jérôme Nicolet when she was seven months pregnant. Several witnesses heard the screams. “We saw her wither away“, testify his former colleagues.
After months ofdenigration and verbal abuse“Marine had a serious burnout, followed by a major depression. It took more than a year to get back on her feet.” It’s the same story every time that repeats itself, he has the same modus operandi with all the people who oppose him, he lies, he manipulates and always pretends to be the victim“, assures the former employee.
A dozen women resign in a few months
Since then, two other employees of the Ile-de-France screening center have filed a complaint against Doctor Jérôme Nicolet. In total in a few months, a dozen employees, all women, had to resign, went on sick leave, or were dismissed for serious misconduct or incapacity.
“This is a textbook case that I had never encountered in my career, so much this gentleman has a caricatural form of moral harassment “, describes the labor inspector, who came to see the suffering of the employees on the spot, after the report of the occupational doctor. “The doctor told me, if you want to get out of this, you have to leave as soon as possible“, testify several women, who came to confide in his office. Colleagues from his previous functions revealed similar actions on the part of the doctor in question.
No moral harassment, according to two surveys
The management of the Ile-de-France cancer screening center has carried out two investigations, one internally by the Social and Economic Committee (the CSE) and management, and another through an independent firm. , the Ledoux firm. The two concluded that there was no moral harassment, even if the management recognizes that Doctor Jérôme Nicolet “can adopt a very sharp, brittle and hurtful speech and that the witnesses describe a loss of control, with disappearance of language precautions, […]an ephemeral behavior, but sufficiently shifted to be remembered by the witnesses“.
For the complainants, these two surveys are biased, because of the ten employees at the headquarters, six of them did not wish to respond to the internal survey, according to a document that franceinfo was able to obtain. Regarding the other investigation, that of the independent firm Ledoux, specializing in social law, the complainants did not wish to provide evidence with regard to the ongoing police investigation, as they were advised. For their part, they accuse the president of the Ile-de-France screening center, the radiologist Michel Deghaye, of not having taken any measures to defend them and of covering up a fellow doctor, and above all a friend.
Contacted by franceinfo Michel Deghaye for his part deplores their lack of collaboration in the investigations to try to resolve the conflict. “Without proof of harassment, no disciplinary sanction“, replies the president of the center, before adding: “We are aware of the suffering at headquarters, but I don’t want any demonization or victimization, we have done our best to try to appease the conflict.“.
Questioned doctor Jérôme Nicolet, also requested by franceinfo, disputes the facts and denounces a cabal launched against him:
“I am the subject of slanderous denunciation, by people who have never accepted my taking office and it is morally difficult to live with. All the internal investigations have concluded that there was no moral harassment , I do my job, that is to say, to lead the structure on the medical level”.
Jerome Nicoletat franceinfo
The conflict weighs on the center’s finances and its effectiveness
This conflict ends up costing the center dearly, “It’s a waste of public money!“, annoyed an administrator who calls for an investigation by the Court of Auditors. In a letter addressed to the public prosecutor dated May 30, which franceinfo was able to obtain, members of the screening center alerted to the “financial excesses“of the public body, largely financed by health insurance, the departmental councils, the City of Paris, and the agricultural social security, the MSA, to the tune of 14 million euros.
We must take into account the legal fees generated by the conflict and the successive recourse to consulting firms to carry out audits, not to mention the salary of the interim general manager, appointed on February 8 to pacify the situation, and which costs each month, 25,000 euros to the association. “A disproportionate level of remuneration for this type of structure“, tackle members of the screening center, while the person concerned combines his income with his retirement. Finally, the coach called to the medical director Jérôme Nicolet “to teach him to cooperate, without effect”, according to this letter, cost 10,000 euros.
According to one administrator, “this conflict is infuriating when Île-de-France is one of the worst students in terms of cancer screening“. Several sources denounce a loss of energy which, according to them, harms the medical action of the center. Over the period 2021-2022, in the Paris region, the breast cancer screening rate peaked at 36.9% against 47, 7% nationally, 31.3% for colorectal cancer against 34.3% nationally, according to figures provided by the cancer institute.
* The first name has been changed