Called to strike since Wednesday against a change in work schedules, employees of the international channel France 24 voted on Thursday, December 14, for a motion of no confidence in their management, Agence France-Presse learned ( AFP), with the CGT at the origin of the movement.
The motion of no confidence against director Vanessa Burggraf received 56% of the votes on Thursday, according to a union source. Several of his deputies were also sanctioned during this vote in which 337 employees participated. “This motion does not call for a reaction from management”the director informed AFP, “given the scale of the reform and the uncertainties over who is entitled to take part in the vote”.
According to the channel’s management, there are 3.7% of strikers and “some impacts on the French, English and Arabic channels”. She is continuing discussions with the CFDT, CFTC, FO and SNJ unions, who for their part have filed a strike notice for January 16.
Opposition to planning reform “carried out at pace”
According to the CGT, employees suffer “permanent contract recruitment under pressure, allocation of new cycles in complete opacity, elimination of shifts, untenable schedule”. The union speaks out against a reform of planning “led at full speed”which is to be implemented in February.
This reform, which follows a first strike movement in 2021 against arduousness and the excessive use of freelancers, was the subject of an information-consultation procedure from April to the end of November.
Requests for additional resources from the CGT “would represent a cost of nearly 2 million euros which would jeopardize the financial balance” of the channel, according to a management document consulted by AFP.
France 24 offers four global continuous news channels (in French, English, Arabic and Spanish), broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to 522 million homes on five continents.
It has been offering its programs since the end of 2006 and belongs to the France Médias Monde group, with Radio France international.