Carrefour fined over minimum wage

CARREFOUR has been fined €3.66m for failing to pay some of its staff the legal minimum wage.

A court in Evry, south-east of Paris, found the supermarket giant used a compulsory paid 20-minute break to bring workers' earnings up to the minimum.

Excluding break times, the hourly rate paid to staff was less than the SMIC - the French minimum wage which is currently set at €9 an hour or €1,365 per month for a standard 35-hour week.

The practice affected 1,200 staff in 12 Carrefour stores in the Ile-de-France, Alpes-Maritimes and Bouches-du-Rhône.

Each worker will receive up to €2,000 in damages. The group must also pay up to €15,000 to each of the unions that lodged a claim in the case.

Carrefour said in a statement that all of its employees were paid above the SMIC and also benefited from bonuses, health insurance and a 7% staff discount. The group has 12 days to decide whether to appeal.