"Authoritarian methods that contribute to a harmful work environment": Lenval employees take to the streets again in Nice

They denounce authoritarian methods that contribute to a deleterious work climate, where fear has replaced dialogue. The psychosocial risks are very real and widely documented: burnout, sick leave, exhaustion, anger... Nothing is being done to improve the situation. "Worse still: management refuses to meet with us . No listening, no sign of openness, no respect for representative bodies," says Marie-France Goyenaga, private health secretary at FO Lenval.

Around a hundred staff members of the Lenval Foundation demonstrated from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in front of the facility on Tuesday, May 13. The malaise is "profound with this management that has been in place for two years," said one caregiver. "89 doctors signed a collective text, and we decided to inform the courts. We want to work in a peaceful environment without retaliatory measures, without pressure, and without psychological violence," revealed Lisa Giovannini-Chami, head professor at Lenval and president of the facility's Medical Commission. The occupational physician also reported the matter to the public prosecutor.

"This climate has a direct impact on children"

"What management forgets is that this climate has a direct impact on the children we support. Abused teams cannot provide adequate care. By refusing to engage in dialogue and denying the suffering of professionals, the quality and safety of child care are jeopardized," laments Nabila Wilburn, a union representative for FO Lenval.

Michel Fuentes, departmental secretary of the FO (French National Front for the Right to Freedom), wrote an open letter to Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, and the new prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Laurent Hottiaux. "I'm asking them for a meeting. Because silence is no longer an option. (…) Because, behind the suffering of the employees, the future of public pediatrics in Nice is also at stake."

The Lenval Foundation reacted on its website: "The movement is motivated by the refusal of the CHU employees to soon regroup in Lenval, within the ESPIC (1), the pediatric dialysis and oncohematology services, which have remained isolated in Archet for more than a decade, despite the commitments signed by the CHU of Nice. (…) The Lenval Foundation continues to adapt its organization to meet the current and future challenges of pediatrics, while respecting the teams, patients and their families."

1. Private healthcare establishment of collective interest.