After the Billy shelf, the “office of legends” … On March 22, Ikea France, the giant of the furniture kit, must appear before the criminal court for having set up a system of espionage of its unionized employees, but also candidates for employment and clients in dispute with the brand.
The investigation, opened in March 2012 by the Versailles prosecutor’s office following the complaint filed by Mr.e Yassine Yakouti, established that Ikea France executives solicited private pharmacies and former police officers to obtain illegal information, in particular from the STIC police file (system for processing the offenses noted) listing the perpetrators and victims of offenses. In addition to the tricolor subsidiary of the Swedish group, 15 people, including 5 police officers or former police officers (and two former managers of the brand’s stores in France), are also targeted by the procedure.
After a hard strike in 2010
But it is an even more astonishing method of espionage which appeared on the fringes of the procedure: the use of “legends” or “implants”, that is to say of moles posing as employees in order to to collect useful information for management, as close as possible to the field. Usually, comedians, former police officers or spies converted into the private sector.
This service was offered by the company GSG (Groupe Synergie Globale), specialized in risk prevention and crisis management, to Jean-François Paris, director of the risk prevention department of Ikea France, after an extremely hard national strike. in February 2010 about a salary increase.
Objective assumed: get rid of Adel Amara as quickly as possible, FO staff representative and leader of the movement, logistics employee at the Franconville store (Val-d’Oise). He will be dismissed in early 2012 for behavior deemed aggressive before being reinstated a few months later, the procedure having been marred by irregularities.
In a 55-page report dated April 2010 titled “Audit Flash”, a GSG “sleuth” describes the trade unionist as a “Charismatic leader”, whose engine is “Money”, “obviously suffering from psychotic problems”, whose “Executives are unanimous in emphasizing the high probability of drug use”, “his behavior suggesting that AA preferentially uses cocaine”…
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