The right of withdrawal, the last resort for employees in a deadlock

Office notebook. "Headache, tingling, red eyes," says the work accident certificate of one of the 70 employees of the Institute of Biology and Pathology (IBP) at the Grenoble hospital center who exercised their right to withdraw on April ¹ to protect themselves from a danger of unknown origin that has been causing a series of illnesses since 2019.

Six years of cascading sick leave, reports of rotten egg odors, dizziness, and "workplace accidents" (as workplace accidents are known in the civil service). In total, more than 300 reports had been filed by the end of 2024 at this institute, which employs 600 people. The labor inspectorate has been notified.

As early as 2019, management had investigations carried out, and the possibility of higher than normal ozone levels was put forward. This is still under investigation. "A collective psychosis has also been mentioned since 2020," reports the victims' lawyer, ^Mr. Henri Gerbi.

Some activities have been relocated outside the IBP, and management has encouraged teleworking where possible. But during the visit of Health Minister Yannick Neuder on April 4, the mystery had still not been solved. And while the employer is trying to find the cause of the problem and remedy it, staff are still exposed, even though masks are planned.

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