EDF's 'Robin Hood' suspended from job

Employee restored electricity supply to a family in arrears, in disgust at boss's €2 million salary

AN EDF employee who took pity on a low-income family and restored their cut-off electricity supply has been suspended.

Dominique Liot, who describes himself as the Robin Hood of electricity, said it was inexcusable that the energy giant was paying its chief executive millions while poor households were punished for being in arrears.

EDF has suspended Mr Liot for 21 days following his decision in April last year to switch back on the supply to a couple in the Midi-Pyrénées.

They were living on income support, had a two-year-old daughter and did not have the money to pay their bills.

"I don't regret what I did," Mr Liot told TF1 News. "Poor people still need energy for their home. When you look at the extraordinary salaries that our new chief executive Henri Proglio has granted himself, I think my fight looks all the more worthwhile."

Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was whistled in parliament yesterday as she attempted to explain why Mr Proglio was being paid for two jobs - €1.6 million for running EDF and €450,000 as non-executive chairman of its parent company Veolia.

He agreed last night to forfeit the smaller of his two salaries.

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