France - RFI

RFI strike set to continue

Article published on the 2009-05-21 Latest update 2009-05-27 11:51 TU

RFI employees join other public broadcasters on a protest earlier this year
(Photo: Tony Cross)

The strike at Radio France Internationale (RFI) is set to continue until Sunday and may be prolonged. Unions and management are at stalemate over a plan for 206 layoffs from the company’s roughly 1,000 staff.

The group of unions which have called the strike won a victory in court on 11 May, when judges decreed that management had not followed proper procedure for notifying employees’ representatives.

RFI management suspended the procedure but has declared its intention to press on with the same redundancy plans.  Management says that RFI is confronted with serious financial problems and recurrent deficits and says that it has initiated a modernisation plan which would balance the budget and allow for development.  

Meetings of employees have endorsed the strike call every week day since it started, although unions opposed to the strike want to negotiate the plan as it stands.

The strikers want the plan scrapped, although they say they are ready to discuss voluntary redundancies. They have won public support from a number of politicians, mostly from left-wing opposition parties including representatives of French overseas voters.

The strike is not an all-out stoppage of all staff, but broadcasts have been disrupted in most languages, because of tactical stiking by technical staff or journalists.

Unions threaten to prolong the action next week if no progress is made on their demands.