Paris (AFP)

Journalist companies (SDJ) of BFMTV, RMC and other media of NextRadioTV warned on Saturday that the second round of the municipal elections would not be covered on Sunday, due to the strike against a social plan, a movement which according to management is " not justify ".

"We journalists should be present in dozens of cities, in front of campaign headquarters, on sets, in newsrooms, to tell you, decipher, live with you this high point of democracy. It is our mission However, we will not fill it up, "wrote the SDJs of BFMTV, BFM Paris, BFM Buisness, RMC and the digital editors of NextRadioTV, in a forum published on the website of the Sunday Journal.

This unprecedented movement represents "a heartbreak as journalists and citizens", and "it is the first time in the history of our media group created 20 years ago, that we do not treat a news as strong ", underline the LDS.

"The strike is absolutely not justified," said NextRadioTV president Alain Weill in an interview with JDD. "All the guarantees requested and much more have been brought" concerning the social plan, he assures.

According to him, BFMTV will be "very little" impacted by the social plan. "The editorial quality of all our branches will be maintained. We make it a point of honor," promises Alain Weill.

Employees of NextradioTV antennas started a strike on Wednesday against a savings plan providing for 500 job cuts, or one third of the workforce of this subsidiary of the Altice group. After a 24-hour suspension to allow discussions between unions and management, which turned out to be unsuccessful, they mainly voted on Thursday to resume the movement, until Monday 9:00 am.

On Saturday, the group's LDS had organized a rally outside the headquarters in Paris to denounce an "unfair and unacceptable" plan. "There was a time of discussion on the strike, many questions were asked about our profession as journalists and the fact of impacting our content," said an AFD member.

According to this source, "the managers have planned a cover system which will be readjusted, in particular with freelancers and fixed-term contracts" to cover the second round.

The strikers notably demand that management renounce any forced departure and reject the abolition of half of the freelance and intermittent positions.

"We guarantee a delay without forced departures at the end of the voluntary departure plan. We will not leave anyone at the side of the road," reiterated Mr. Weill.

Anticipating a collapse in advertising revenue, NextRadioTV had announced a plan to reduce staff in mid-May. "We were in deficit in April and May for the first time in seventeen years," said Mr. Weill, who said that the coronavirus crisis was "a blow and no one escapes it: TF1, M6, Canal +… The coming months will be difficult for everyone ".

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