The year-long case before the Rouen industrial tribunal (prud'hommes) concerning the recognition of asbestos-related anxiety suffered by 131 employees of DS Smith's Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray paper mill has just come to a successful conclusion. The board's decision of March 27 confirms this prejudice, and DS Smith will have to pay compensation ranging from 1,200 to 15,000 euros to the employees concerned, reports the company France 3 Régions .
The proceedings were made possible by the plant's classification as an asbestos site in June 2021, making it eligible for the Allocation de cessation d'activité anticipée des travailleurs de l'amiante (Acaata) scheme. As a result, employees exposed to asbestos between 1930 and 1998 were entitled to claim financial compensation for the anxiety caused by their exposure to asbestos and the fear of falling ill.
At the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray site in Seine-Maritime, asbestos was found in the insulation of the hot water pipes used to manufacture paper pulp.
An asbestos affair that's probably not over yet
The labor tribunal's decision will probably not go unheeded.
On the one hand, DS Smith is arguing that it took over the paper mill in 2004, when asbestos had been banned since 1997, and is asking each plaintiff to prove his or her injury.
On the other hand, employees can appeal against the industrial tribunal's decision to pay higher compensation to employees exposed to asbestos for longer periods, as explained by France 3 Régions .
