"What happened to him can happen to us": a tribute to Moussa Sylla, who died at work in the National Assembly parking lot in 2022

A tribute so that his name never fades. A stone's throw from the National Assembly, under the trees, trade unionists, deputies, colleagues, and family gathered on Wednesday, July 9, to commemorate the death of " a good man." His name: Moussa Sylla. On July 9, 2022 , three years ago to the day, this cleaning agent employed by Europ Net, a service provider at the Palais Bourbon, died following a work accident.

That day, Moussa Sylla was cleaning the National Assembly parking lot. He was alone between the fourth and fifth basement levels of the Assembly when he lost control of his scrubber-dryer. According to CCTV footage, the machine raced, and the 52-year-old man was thrown against a wall, hitting his head violently. Discovered unconscious by movers, the employee was treated by firefighters. With his life in danger, the employee died three days later in hospital.

Originally from Mauritania, Moussa arrived in France twenty years earlier. He had just landed a permanent contract of 25 hours per week at Europ Net after years of precarious employment. He supplemented this contract with a second part-time job at another company. He worked a total of 40 hours per week to support his family back home.

" Having left his country, Mauritania, by canoe, taking every risk, he paradoxically found death in what is theoretically the safest place in France," declared Danielle Cheuton of the CGT Parisian Cleaning Collective.

Moussa's former colleagues, cleaning ladies, insisted on being present in the corridors of the Chamber before returning to work. All moved and still devastated by their colleague's death, they remain united and strong.

Among them is Jeannette Sambo, a cleaner for nearly 17 years at the National Assembly, one of the heroines of François Ruffin's film Debout les femmes (Women Stand Up ). Facing the youngest son of Moussa Sylla, Boulaye, and the employee's cousin, Soumare Silly, she wipes away her tears and chants, her voice trembling with emotion: " What happened to Mr. Sylla can happen to us too, that's why we're here." " For Europ Net, we'd be seen as animals, but even animals are treated better," she says.

The subcontracting company Europ Net was fined €150,000 by the Paris District Court on Friday, January 24, for involuntary manslaughter. The company was also fined €10,000 for violations of the French Labor Code.

The two Europ Net executives, Carlos de Moura and Stéphane Payan, who were prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter, were acquitted because " the manifestly deliberate nature of the failure to fulfill their obligations has not been established," the court ruled. They must, however, each pay a fine of €3,000.

The defendants were accused of failing to provide the worker with a suitable scrubber-dryer or properly train him in its use. These failures constitute serious violations of the labor code. The investigation conducted by the labor inspectorate had shown that such a machine should not be used on slopes exceeding 10%. However, the one Moussa Sylla was working on exceeded 13.8%, a dangerous route on an excessively steep slope.

Despite this conviction, the cleaning company Europ Net is more prosperous than ever . During the legal proceedings, the National Assembly granted the company new contracts, giving it a monopoly on the Palais Bourbon. " It's a scandal ," laments Danielle Cheuton. " Where is humanity in the face of the race for profit? " asks Manon Amirshahi , CGT general secretary for parliamentary staff.

However, according to the CGT Parisian Cleaning Collective, Europ Net will soon be stripped of responsibility for cleaning the building at 101 rue de l'Université, which houses MPs' offices. Another company is expected to take over. " This news pleases us because it is the result of a union battle, media coverage of the case, the support of many MPs, and the January 24th condemnation ," explains Danielle Cheutron.

The battle is not over, however. Moussa Sylla's family now finds itself in a difficult financial situation. Three years after the employee's fatal workplace accident and the company's conviction, the family has still not received compensation.

" Moussa Sylla joins the all-too-long list of workplace deaths. Those we rarely talk about, whose first and last names are rarely spoken about, because they are often foreigners," laments Manon Amirshahi. "We often talk about them as catastrophes, when in fact they are eminently political ."

Moussa Sylla's case reflects a more general and symptomatic case: the rise in workplace deaths. In 2024, 759 employees died at work, but " in reality, if we look at all professional sectors, we are at 1,380 deaths in 2024, and it's getting worse," points out MP Ségolène Amiot (LFI). François Ruffin (EELV) denounces the government's contempt, " these workplace deaths are human dust that is swept under the government's carpet." Last week, four interns under 18 died at work.

To stem this carnage, the CGT is calling for improved prevention, the reinstatement of the CHSCT (Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee, Editor's note), increased penalties for employers at fault in the event of a serious or fatal accident, and sanctions in the awarding of public contracts. The union is also asking to be received with the family by the President of the National Assembly and for a commemorative plaque to be placed in the Palais Bourbon in tribute to Moussa Sylla so that his death does not go unnoticed.