Paris-based RFI reporters protest pay cuts with open-ended strike

Journalists at RFI’s international service in Paris launched an indefinite strike on November 18, citing a “worrying deterioration” in their working conditions.

The striking staff are demanding the reinstatement of a permanent workforce of 16 full-time journalists following the elimination of one position, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“The impact of the strike on the station’s broadcasts is difficult to assess on air,” a spokesperson for Radio France Internationale said. Management is scheduled to meet with union representatives later in the day. According to unions, the station is experiencing “some disruptions” amid the industrial action.

RFI, a public broadcaster, airs programming worldwide in French and 16 additional languages. It collaborates with nearly 1,700 partner radio stations that rebroadcast its content, reaching more than 60 million listeners weekly.

In their strike notice, representatives from CFDT, CFTC, CGT, FO, and SNJ emphasized that since February 2022, at the onset of the Ukraine war, the surge in reporting from high-risk zones has significantly increased journalists’ workloads, sometimes endangering their health.

The unions further criticized reduced pay during assignments, describing it as “unacceptable given the risks and responsibilities involved,” noting that journalists frequently face financial losses while on assignment.

The RFI Correspondents’ Association (l'Acorfi) voiced its support for the striking journalists, citing a  “persistent malaise” within the station. l'Acorfi warned that the ongoing deterioration of working conditions could have “obvious consequences on the quality of information” broadcast to the public.

By Vafa Guliyeva