Radio France's return to work under threat of an unlimited strike

This Monday, August 25th, was supposed to be the launch day of the Radio France season. But the start of the school year promises to be hectic. Once again—a previous strike took place in June—the unions are calling for mobilization against the reorganization plans maintained by management. This call for an indefinite strike starting Monday is expected to disrupt the broadcast of programs, including the France Inter morning show. The expected arrival of Benjamin Duhamel on the country's leading morning show has been tarnished by the social climate: the presenter, who defected from BFMTV, is joining Nicolas Demorand, following the departure of Léa Salamé for the 8 p.m. news on France 2.

This call for a strike is not a surprise and is part of a schedule already established before the summer break: the strike notice was filed on July 11 by the unions. At stake are several reforms sought by the group's CEO, Sibyle Veil. Among the issues that are causing friction are the shutdown of Mouv'sur FM radio, editorial changes within Ici (formerly France Bleu, the network of local public radio stations), and the discontinuation of investigative and reporting programs.

With the summer failing to resolve the conflicts, the unions confirmed their call for a strike on Thursday: "For the first time in our recent history, the radio season may not start," the unions threatened in a joint statement. A final meeting with Radio France management on Friday failed to consider lifting the notice period. "For the time being, management is refusing to make the slightest concession or to backtrack on the projects that are most harmful to the teams and the stations," the unions lamented in a statement Friday evening.

The group's management, for its part, assured on Saturday that it had "made proposals on the various subjects currently under discussion, with the aim of lifting the notice period" , according to AFP. For its part, management says it is ready to continue negotiations as quickly as possible: "A meeting was jointly set for Monday. There is, on both sides, a desire to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, in the interests of the listeners," it continued.

A first, widely followed strike took place from June 26 to 29. It was immediately followed by a second, but for a different reason. It was to protest against the proposed reform of public broadcasting put forward by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, which plans to create a holding company, France Médias, overseeing France Télévisions, Radio France, and the INA (National Audiovisual Institute).

After a bumpy parliamentary journey, this text is expected to return to the National Assembly in the fall. It was adopted in July by the Senate, where debates were cut short by the minister's decision to use the blocked vote procedure.

According to the latest audience measurements from Médiamétrie, published at the beginning of July, Radio France recorded a record 2024-2025 season on several channels and France Inter increased its lead as the country's leading radio station.