Euronews workers will go on strike on Thursday to protest against “cost-cutting measures”, “deteriorating working conditions” and the “threat to jobs” with a possible dismantling of the Lyon newsroom.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the inter-union representing the Euronews workers said that around 170 channel employees “meeting in a general assembly on January 26 voted in favor of a first day of strike on February 2 to protest against the first cost.” cutback measures, the consequent deterioration of working conditions, the threat to the jobs” of “600 employees (permanent, temporary, independent and occasional)” and a “possible dismantling” of the multilingual newsroom in Lyon, France.
“This year, Euronews celebrates its 30th anniversary,” reads the same note. “Unfortunately, at the Euronews SA headquarters in Lyon, the atmosphere is not one of partying and champagne. We still have to fight to preserve our ‘Tower of Babel of European Information’ and our jobs,” the unions said.
According to the statement, when Alpac, the channel’s new shareholder, joined the group, “it promised to invest” in the company “to make it profitable.” However, “seven months after the acquisition, Management has not yet communicated its strategic guidelines. Although the presentation of these is scheduled for the week of February 27, the decisions and actions have already been announced, raising many concerns and questions.
“The shareholder announced the sale of our building and the partial acquisition of our brand by the holding company based in Luxembourg. Problem of lack of personnel,” warned the inter-union.
In the same information, he revealed that “in a meeting requested by the three union delegates, Pedro David Vargas, from the Alpac investment fund”, said that “the headquarters will remain in Lyon, but we do not know who will be there” and that “the languages will be worked from the newsrooms of the European capitals”.
Thus, “the workers’ representatives requested that an extraordinary meeting of the CSE (Workers’ Committee) be held in order to obtain answers to the many questions about the future of the company and its workers, particularly with regard to a possible relocation. During this meeting, the Board did not give any indication of its strategic plan, however, it did not deny information about a possible relocation or a possible social plan.
The inter-union recalled that Euronews began broadcasting in Lyon “because it was the city that offered the best conditions to host the channel, which was later launched in five languages.”
Twelve years ago, in addition to “its multilingual newsroom in Lyon, Euronews created a multilingual newsroom in Brussels to produce live programs with various political and economic personalities, especially from Europe; in 2018 correspondent posts were created in some of the main European capitals : Paris, Berlin, Rome and London,” he says.
The union structure fears a layoff plan, assuring that it could mean the end of the “famous ‘European DNA'” of the chain.
Workers will gather in front of the Euronews headquarters in Lyon on Thursday.
Source: TSF
