Paris (AFP)

A strike movement began Monday on the entire regional network of France 3 in order to protest against the current regional reorganization of the antennas, considered "at a discount" and carried out in "haste", according to the trade unions at the origin of the movement.

"The first day of the strike was very popular throughout the regional network of France 3," said the CGT, SNJ, Sud unions in a joint statement.

The strike will be renewed on Tuesday, they indicate, calling "the employees to continue and to amplify the mobilization".

Their demands?

Obtain a "real regionalization project, ambitious in its content with dedicated resources" and the postponement of the launch of "6.30 p.m.", a new regional information offer which will be broadcast from January 25, before "19/20", the flagship section of the channel.

Asked by AFP, the channel confirms that several antennas have been disrupted but intends to continue the announced schedule.

According to the unions, "projects are designed by regions in an emergency" and "all reflect a lack of means and ambition" such as "talk show, situation sets, a few meager shoots" or even "massive use "filming units with smartphones.

A reading contested by the channel which claims to have carried out "a real collaborative work" through in particular "workshops with all the antennas to prepare the project of 6:30 p.m.".

"The staff who will be mobilized on this new tranche will be taken from staff already bloodless," add the unions, denouncing "underemployment" at work for ten years with gradually impoverished content.

In the space of a year, the France 3 network "has lost 94 posts of PTA (technicians, Editor's note) and 42 of journalists", they point out.

Subject like all of the public audiovisual sector to savings measures, the France Télévisions group will suffer a further reduction in the State's endowment of 60 million this year, after having seen its public funding fall by 146 million euros since 2018.

France 3 has been in turmoil for two years between the transfer of its emblematic night news "Soir 3" to franceinfo in August 2019 and the generalization of morning shows filmed with France Bleu.

These changes have always led to strike action within the group.

© 2021 AFP