Didier Lombard, the chief executive of France Télécom, faced calls for his resignation today after another member of staff committed sucide yesterday, bringing the tally to 24 deaths in 18 months.

The latest in a list of deaths, which has shocked France and sparked debate over restructuring at the telecommunications giant, occurred on Monday when a 51-year-old employee killed himself in the French Alps

The man, who was married with two children, left a note blaming the ''atmosphere'' at work before throwing himself off a motorway bridge in Alby-sur-Chéran.

Like many of the suicide victims at the former state monopoly, he had recently switched jobs — in his case moving to a call centre where he faced performance objectives.

''He was a civil servant who joined the firm when it was a public service operator and he kept saying that his new job wasn't for him,'' a colleague told French radio.

Mr Lombard was booed by staff when he visited the site in Alby-sur-Chéran, where he announced an end to the programme of compulsory job changes for managers.

He also suspended staff performance indicators at the call centre, but failed to quell a storm of protest over the spate of suicides.

The opposition Socialist Party called for Mr Lombard to be replaced at the helm of a group that has undergone rapid change since privatisation in 2004.

''Resignation is the only solution,'' said Benoît Hamon, the party spokesman, who blamed the suicides on reorganisation at France Telecom.

'In this sort of case, you assume your responsibilities and you go.''

Aurélie Filippetti, spokeswoman for the Socialist's parliamentary group, said it was ''a matter of common decency'' for Mr Lombard to step down.

But the chief executive won support from the French Government, which said his resignation was ''not on the agenda''.

Instead, ministers have urged a more ''humane'' approach to job changes at France Telecom, prompting Mr Lombard to hire 100 additional advisers in human resources and launch negotiations with unions on workplace stress.

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