Carrefour fined over unpaid breaks

SUPERMARKET chain Carrefour has been ordered to pay some of its staff for rest breaks, after a long legal battle in the north of France.

Some 540 staff at local branches of Carrefour Market had taken their case to the appeal court, claiming that they were being paid less than the legal minimum wage once compulsory breaks were taken into account.

Lawyers for the workers say they will receive between €2,000 and €5,000 in compensation.

A CFDT union spokesman said Carrefour faces 1,600 similar claims elsewhere in France - and could be hit with a bill of up to €2.7 million if all of the cases are upheld.

Carrefour said it had to taken note of the ruling - which it said was less favourable than other similar rulings in the past.

It said the French code du travail was "quite complex" on this issue.