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Over 4000 workers demonstrated today in Paris against the proposed laws on public audiovisual services threatening the financial sustainability and independence of France Télévisions, the French public service broadcasters. A delegation led by EURO-MEI President Marc Kerki from the VRT union ACOD joined their French colleagues in Paris in a day of action against the French governments’ proposals. “We are in favour of measures to ensure a dynamic, financial sustainable and independent public audiovisual service in all European countries. The signal the French government is sending is dangerous for the sustainability and quality of public service broadcasting in Europe”, Kerki said.



Below: on the left, EURO-MEI President Marc Kerki , addressing a rally of 4000 workers of France Télévision today in Paris, on the left:, SNRT-CGT, F3C-CFDT and FASAP-FO leading demonstrating workers to the French Parliament.

With the proposed law on audiovisual communication the government plans to cut advertising from France Télévisions from January 2009 and abolish it from 2011 totally. The proposed law on the nomination of Presidents will create a single company structure under the chairmanship of one President named directly by the President of the Republic. These proposals will initially decrease the commercial income by 70% restricting the future programme making capabilities of France Télévisions and hinder it to accomplish public service missions in the future. Further the government is seeking to establish direct control over the public broadcasters (France Télévisions, Radio France, Audiovisuel extérieur) by appointing directly their leadership to the detriment of the broadcaster’s independence. Finally, the project to create one single company for France Télévisions and a holding for Audiovisuel extérieur calls into question the existing collective agreements (accords d’entreprises et convention collective de l’audiovisuel public) and thereby threatens the level of workers’ rights and conditions.



Already on Monday media workers across Europe started actions in support of their French colleagues. Delegations of public service broadcasting workers across Europe followed the call of EURO-MEI - the European region of UNI-MEI Global Union represents 65 unions and guilds affiliating 200 000 media workers and demonstrated yesterday across Europe and presented declarations regarding the future of French public service broadcasting to the French Embassies in their countries.

Above: Spanish Colleagues from FCT-CCOO and FES-UGT at the French Embassy in Madrid. Colleagues in many other countries in “old” and “new” EU member states paid visits to the French Embassies; bellow: the Slovenian union Glosa on their way to the French Embassy:

EURO-MEI as well as its sister organisations EFJ, the European Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Script Writers, FSE share the concerns of French media workers and unions that this project would destabilise the sustainable development of the public service broadcasting channels and would jeopardize their capacity to accomplish public service missions in the digital era and have sent messages to the French government in recent days.



Download here EURO-MEI's declaration in French and English: