French rail worker paid N1.2million monthly to do 'absolutely nothing' for 12 years files 'complaint'

The employee worked for France's national rail operator SNCF

A French employee of national rail operator SNCF earned €5,000 per month after tax since 2003 for doing "nothing", but in a Gallic twist has filed for "compensation" saying the sinecure ruined his promising career 

An employee of France’s national rail operator SNCF has revealed being paid €5,000 (£3,550) per month to do absolutely "nothing" for 12 years, it emerged on Friday.

However, rather than being delighted with the situation, he has filed a complaint for "compensation", saying the sinecure put the brakes on his promising career.

Charles Simon told French media that his employer, which runs France’s trains including the fast TGVs, took him off his day job in 2003 after he blew the whistle on a case of suspected fraud to the tune of €20 million.

Since then he has received €5,000 per month net while staying at home with the status "available" for work.

“Each month I receive a new salary statement and a bank transfer. Last month, just like every year in June, I also received a bonus of €600 for the holidays,” he told BFM TV.

In 2003, Mr Simon, from Saint Quentin in the Aisne department, northern France, said he was working for a subsidiary of SNCF called Geodis Solutions, which handles transport logistics.

“After three years of normal activity, I discovered a fraud based on false disputed transport invoices amounting to €20 million,” he told BFMV, producing his personal archives on the bills to back up his claims.

Part of the “misused funds” were due to go into building the new TGV Nord line, he told Le Point. Others related to the E line of the overground RER network.

He said he alerted his managers, but was promptly moved from Geodis back to SNCF. However, instead of being given a new post, the company offered him no new role. He said he had no choice but to stay at home but continued to be paid the same monthly wage.

However, rather than simply taking the money and enjoying his free time, he said he wrote several letters to Guillaume Pepy, the president of the SNCF, asking for “compensation”.

“I am asking for recognition for the wrong this has caused me because if I hadn’t been sidelined, I could have had a fine career,” he said.

He added that he hoped his predicament as a “whistle blower’ would help others placed in “the cupboard” – given a sinecure - after having denounced fraud.

Contacted by Le Point, SNCF confirmed that Mr Simon was indeed an employee and that he had already made a request for “damages”, which was rejected by the Paris workers’ tribunal in 2011. It said it could not comment further given its continued “contractual link” to Mr Simon.