"La Poste Ordered to Improve Corporate Due Diligence Implementation Following Landmark Ruling", 5 Dec 2023

In a landmark ruling, La Poste, the French postal service, has been ordered to refine its approach to a 2017 law on corporate due diligence concerning human and environmental risks. The Paris Judicial Tribunal delivered this verdict in response to the usage of undocumented workers by La Poste’s subcontractors.

The tribunal noted that La Poste’s risk mapping did not adequately reflect the dangers associated with illegal labor, thereby necessitating the creation of evaluation procedures for subcontractors. These procedures are to be based on explicitly identified risks.

The case was first brought to light by the SUD PTT union. It was discovered that undocumented workers were interchanging papers and badges to work night shifts at the Chronopost platform in Alfortville, Val-de-Marne. This platform is a subcontractor of Derichebourg, a La Poste enterprise.

The tribunal rejected several demands put forward by SUD PTT, such as the call for La Poste to make its list of subcontractors and suppliers public. The tribunal also declined to impose measures that would prevent concealed labor. A request for a daily financial penalty of 50,000 euros to be levied on La Poste for delays in enhancing its vigilance plan was denied. However, the tribunal did acknowledge the significant improvements that La Poste has made since 2021.