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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
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RFI

CGT chief faces defamation probe, warns French union freedom is at risk

CGT union secretary general Sophie Binet at the May Day demonstration in Paris, 1 May 2026. ````
CGT union secretary general Sophie Binet at the May Day demonstration in Paris, 1 May 2026. ```` © Aurelien Morissard/AP

The general secretary of France’s largest trade union has warned that union freedoms are "in danger" after she was placed under formal investigation for defamation for the second time in six months.

The latest is a case brought by French cookware manufacturer Tefal over comments she made about union repression at the company, linked to an investigation into their use of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’.

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