Trial opens on undeclared foreign workers at French nuclear site

A court in Cherbourg opened a trial on Wednesday to determine whether 460 undeclared foreign workers were employed on the construction site of the EPR third-generation nuclear reactor at the Flamanville power station in Lower Normandy. 

Construction site of the EPR third-generation nuclear reactor in Flamanville, Normandy. AFP/Mychele Daniau

Investigators believe French industrial giant Bouygues TP, its subsidiary Quille and French company Welbond Armatures may have knowingly employed the workers at the long-delayed construction project.

They are accused of hiring moonlighting workers through firms Elco and Atlanco Limited.

Atlanco Limited, which is absent from the trial and which investigators have not been able to locate, is accused of unreported employment of 162 Polish workers.

Romanian firm Elco is suspected of the same for 297 Romanians.

Investigators allege both firms had offices on the construction site and accuse them of avoiding paying several million euros in taxes and other contributions between 2008 and 2011.

Bouygues TP and Welbond claim the two firms provided "competent" and "motivated" workers that were not available in France within the tight deadlines of the project.

Lawyers for the companies attempted to have the case dismissed, but the court decided to proceed with the trial.

Underlying the trial is a European Union directive allowing companies to post workers across the borders of EU member countries, under certain conditions.

"Taking advantage of loopholes in the status of posted workers, these companies made a habit of savagely exploiting European labourers," said French MEP Karima Delli in a statement ahead of the trial, on Tuesday.

The trial was expected to last until Thursday or Friday.

The Flamanville project has been delayed for five years and seen its cost rise to more than 8.5 billion euros since construction began in 2007. It is currently planned to begin operation in 2017.