2023-11-03 13:34:00
The events occurred around ten days ago. A municipal employee was allegedly the victim of sexual harassment in her workplace by a member of the municipal college. Following these facts, the victim filed a complaint with the Cohézio service, an external prevention and protection at work service. Facts denounced by Xavier Papier, opposition municipal councilor Plus.
According to our information, the author of these actions would be none other than Laurent Wimlot, alderman of the Animation de la Cité among others. “The presumption of innocence always prevails, however I was informed that these facts were witnessed by other officials and a member of the College and that they confirmed their veracity,” denounces Xavier Papier in a press release. “First of all, it seems obvious to me that the civil servant must be protected, surrounded and put in a position to be able to express herself freely without any pressure. A provisional dismissal of the member of the College is inevitable to take the complaint into account and allow the necessary investigation. Then, it is the responsibility of the Mayor to shed light on the facts and to notify the judicial authorities in order to preserve the rights of the alleged victim.”
For Xavier Papier, the resignation of the alderman concerned seems inevitable. “These unacceptable acts against a woman must inevitably lead, at the end of the information procedure, to a resignation. We cannot be satisfied with this. This is a tacit mode of operation that must stop. It is the trivialization that must disappear. And for this, the Municipal Council as a whole must be able to put in place processes to lift the weight of politics on the administration. It is time to guarantee respect for existing standards on the independence of the administration and the protection of the integrity of each person.”
Contacted by us, Jacques Gobert confirmed that a member of the college, without naming him, was facing an accusation of sexual harassment. He also denounces unacceptable facts. “The College will take the necessary measures towards the alderman concerned if the investigation currently carried out by Cohézio proves to be incriminating,” the mayor told us.
Inadmissible facts
For Xavier Papier, such facts are of course unacceptable. “Announced since 2019, following the death of Olivier Buisseret, a procedure promoting well-being at work was put in place by the College with a budget of €150,000,” continues the advisor. “The fight against harassment and in favor of the psychological balance of our civil servants was at the heart of the concerns of the current PS-Ecolo majority. Four years later, what concrete results have been given to this desire? What concrete actions have been taken to promote a real climate of security and independence for our municipal staff? Difficult to say as my concerns on this subject have always been taken into consideration. If the facts are proven, the mayor will have to make clear decisions commensurate with the seriousness of the event. I will not accept to hear in 2023 a trivializing posture minimizing an attack on the integrity of a woman.”
In view of this affair, the advisor asks for a global reflection on well-being at work within the administration. “It seems important to me to gain perspective from the event and learn from it for the future. I consider it a duty to take control of the process, initiated in 2019, and to guarantee, in accordance with the law, real well-being at work for our civil servants. Our administration deserves to be able to work in the service of citizens in complete freedom as provided for by municipal regulations. It is time for La Louvière to sweep away the behavior of the past which places civil servants who are supposed to be independent under the authority of politicians in power. It is the drift of the appropriation of the City by some which ends up leading to abuses which can no longer exist. Managing a City does not mean owning it with an almost divine right.”
As for him and currently on sick leave, Laurent Wimlot who, it should be remembered, still benefits from the presumption of innocence as long as the investigation is underway, was unreachable at the time of writing these lines.
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