UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
8-K
CURRENT
REPORT
Pursuant
to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of
Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 2, 2009
MANPOWER
INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Wisconsin
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1-10686
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39-1672779
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(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
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(Commission
File Number)
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(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
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100
Manpower Place
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Milwaukee,
Wisconsin
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53212
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(Zip
Code)
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Registrant's
telephone number, including area code: (414) 961-1000
Check the
appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions:
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Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425)
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Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)
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Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.13e-4(c))
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Item
8.01 Other Events
On
February 2, 2009, Manpower Inc. (“the Company”) issued a press release
announcing that the Competition Council in France issued a decision holding that
the Company’s French operating unit, along with competitors Adecco and
Vediorbis, had engaged in anti-competitive conduct in violation of French law
during the period from March 2003 to November 2004 and consequently fined the
three employment services providers. A copy of the press release is
attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by
reference.
Item
9.01. Exhibits.
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Exhibit No.
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Description
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99.1
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Press
Release dated February 2,
2009
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has
duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
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MANPOWER
INC.
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Dated: February
2, 2009
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By:
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/s/
Kenneth C. Hunt
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Kenneth
C. Hunt
Senior Vice
President, General Counsel and Secretary
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EXHIBIT
INDEX
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Exhibit No.
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Description
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99.1
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Press
Release dated February 2,
2009
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Exhibit
99.1
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Contacts:
Mike Van Handel
Chief Financial Officer
+1.414.906.6305
Kenneth Hunt
Chief Legal Officer
+1.414.906.7150
Manpower
Inc. to Appeal French Competition Council Decision
MILWAUKEE,
WI, USA, (February 2, 2009) – Manpower Inc. announced today that the Competition
Council in France has issued a decision holding that the Company’s French
operating unit, along with competitors Adecco and Vediorbis, had engaged in
anti-competitive conduct in violation of French law during the period from March
2003 to November 2004 and has consequently fined the three employment services
providers. According to a calculation that is based on gross profit from
operations in France, Manpower’s French unit will be fined € 42,000,000. This
decision represents the outcome of the previously reported proceedings before
the Council that began with an investigation at the French unit’s headquarters
in November 2004.
Kenneth
Hunt, Manpower Inc. Senior Vice President – Chief Legal Officer, said the
Council’s decision and imposition of the fine was unwarranted and that Manpower
plans to appeal the case.
“We are
very concerned by the decision of the Competition Council, as we take seriously
our commitment to the highest standards of ethical business practice as well as
ensuring that we are in full compliance with the laws of the communities we
serve. The Council’s holding that our French operation was broadly engaged in a
concerted practice to avoid competition on price is not supported by the facts
of the case and the fine imposed by the Council is excessive as a measure of the
damage to the economy that the fine is supposed to reflect. Regardless, since
2004 we have taken further steps to improve our compliance and training programs
in an effort to prevent any future issues of this nature,” Hunt
said.
Manpower
requires that each of its 33,000 employees worldwide complete an annual ethics
training course and certify that the employee has read and understands the
Manpower Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which requires compliance with
both the spirit and the letter of the law in each of the 80 countries and
territories where Manpower operates. The Manpower Inc. Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics can be found on the company Web site at: http://www.manpower.com/investors/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=1483.
In
addition, Manpower requires all employees whose job responsibilities may result
in contact with competitors to complete an annual competition law training
course. Manpower has been globally recognized by world-renowned ethics and
corporate social responsibility organizations for its standards, efforts and
contributions in these areas.
Payment
of the fine is expected shortly. The Company has previously recorded
a reserve for the case sufficient to cover the fine.
About
Manpower Inc.
Manpower
Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating
and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of
work. Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the $21 billion company offers employers
a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including
permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and
selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's
worldwide network of 4,500 offices in 80 countries and territories enables the
company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and
medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest
multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising
productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across
their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business
activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower
Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on
Manpower Inc. is available at http://www.manpower.com.
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