France: Asbestos-exposed workers forced into early retirement win monetary awards

Bordeaux, France - A court has required a company, which forced 17 of its asbestos-exposed workers to retire early, to pay the former employees for a portion of their lost earnings.

Papermaking company Ahlstrom Labelpack was ordered by a Bergerac labor court to pay the workers between 9,000 and 85,000 euros each for causing them to lose out on 35 percent of their potential earnings up to the legal retirement age. The court also ordered the company to pay each person 10,000 euros (about $15,700 US) for mental health damage caused by stress and anxiety.

In addition to the awards of the judgment, each person has already been set up to receive benefits equivalent to 65 percent of their salaries from Acaata, a government-sponsored program that's set up to support workers who are forced to retire early due to asbestos exposure. None of the ex-employees have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition so far.

Ahlstrom Labelpack has appealed the decision but if the appeal court denies their request, the total amount from the judgment will add significantly to the expected compensation costs for asbestos-related illnesses over the next 20 years, which is estimated to be between 11.7 and 22 billion euros.

The lawyer representing the former employees said it could be a landmark decision, one which may affect tens of thousands of people. Other workers who have been exposed to asbestos may decide to seek similar financial incentives for early retirement.

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