The twenty-five testimonies are still not enough to make the management of France Télévisions react. “The director of information Alexandre Kara brushed them aside because they are anonymous”, says one of the members of the Society of Journalists from the France 3 national editorial team at the origin of this collection.
“Anonymous because people are afraid. We are already the subject of harassment and discrimination, the summons follow one another”still assures the SDJ. Made public on November 22, 2024, this text entitled “the editorial team testifies” is nevertheless overwhelming for anyone concerned about the health and well-being of employees at work.
Issue : “the information department prefers to take these testimonies as individual cases rather than accepting that it is a systemic problem due to the organization and distribution of work which is only for the benefit of the journalists from France 2”, says Georges Pinol, union delegate of SNJ-CGT France Télévisions.
“In terms of prospects for development, journalists formerly known as France 3 can no longer claim anything”
Among the testimonies already presented is that of Philippe (first name changed) who makes a chilling observation: “France Télévisions has become a slaughterhouse. I traveled the planet, the theaters of war, then suddenly, I was put in the closet, only good at doing sidewalk microphones. It’s incredibly violent.”.
Since the merger of the editorial offices of France 3 national and France 2, the discomfort of journalists formerly of 3 is palpable, but they are not heard. And yet “just look at the salaries, there is a gap of 900 to 1,000 euros between an ex-France 3 and an ex-France 2 who have the same seniority. When in addition to the prospects for development, the journalists formerly France 3 can no longer claim anything”denounces the SDJ.
On the management side, Alexandre Kara denies any favoritism towards France 2 employees. However, he recognizes the existence of suffering: “This discomfort has existed for years but among a small number of employees.” These situations that he marginalizes, he attributes has “the cultural rupture which took place in the house during the merger of the two editorial teams of France 2 and France 3.” According to him, at that time, “a small number of employees in fact felt dispossessed and dispossessed of a corporate culture with the disappearance of the France 3 editorial staff”.
For the information director, there is indeed the question of the feeling of downgrading. But according to the framework of France Télévisions, this is not a reflection of reality. He justifies this feeling by the fact that “the profession of journalism has evolved a lot in recent years and for some employees, it has been harder to find adaptations. The consequence could in fact be feeling dispossessed of their original qualifications.” This is where the problem lies: according to the SDJ, Alexandre Kara did not know how to properly orchestrate the merger so that all employees were taken into account.
“What we are waiting for are strong acts”
Labor sociologist Danièle Linhart, former member of the Stress and Forced Mobility Observatory at France Telecom Orange, studied the SDJ testimony file. Based on his first impressions, this collection reflects “the displayed contempt for the management and professional commitment of these journalists who have dedicated themselves to a certain type of journalism for years. But overnight their missions were redefined without them being consulted”.
According to the sociologist, “the time needed to find solutions collectively was not taken”. Danièle Linhart does not hesitate to compare the brutality of the change to the situation experienced at France Telecom: “When it came to transferring agents, management imposed career changes without consultation and with total disrespect for the skills and social usefulness of employees.”
The current president of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte, experienced the situation at France Télécom and in fact “she appears particularly attentive and concerned. But now what we expect are strong actions, launch the SDJ, If nothing happens, we intend to bring up other testimonies which continue to come in”.
Supported by the France Television unions in its company to defend the health of employees, the request for an extraordinary CSE was made. A date is expected for early February. Alexandre Kara undertakes to participate. Objective: to have an expert opinion voted on by an independent firm which will meet each employee individually in order to confront management with reality and the requirement for an action plan. On the other hand, Alexandre Kara claims to already work individually with the employees he has identified in distress situations to find guidance and training solutions.
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