The employees of i-Tv voted to end a strike in history – The World

on Wednesday, the employees of the chain have decided to go back to work, to the 31st day of the longest strike in an audiovisual media private.

This time, it is finished : after 31 days, employees of i-Tv voted Wednesday, November 16, the end of a strike history, the longest in an audiovisual media private. In the general assembly, they have voted unanimously to return to work, ” since the signing of the memorandum of agreement with the direction “. It has also been decided that the company’s journalists, who fought for the independence of writing, reading a text in front of the premises.

Read also : Soon, four weeks of strike, to i-Télé : how did we get here ?

New wave of employee departures

” The emotion is huge “, entrust a journalist. In fact, in most of the dozen departures already known, and many other defections have been announced this Wednesday in the general assembly : between fifteen and 25, according to sources. If the chain continues, it will have in any case lost in the conflict, a large part of his team, managers, facilitators… A reality that can only give a bitter taste to the exit from the crisis for the employees.

” 15 th speech starting… Nothing today…. The building collapses like a house of cards …. I-Tv is dead “, tweeted the journalist Stefan Etcheverry.

Read also : Has i-Télé, “the strike lasts because, at bottom, nothing has been achieved”

Well, Jean-Jérôme Bertolus, one of the figures of the chain, has bid farewell to his colleagues, in the course of a AG ” ultrapoignante “. as Guillaume Auda, who was very involved in the conflict.

Previously, the editor-in-chief, Alexander Ifis, or the president of the society of journalists, Olivier Ravanello, as well as the facilitator Amandine Bégot had warned that they would not, while Bruce Toussaint had itself already been joined by France 5. Since then, i-Tv has lost a number of senior experience, such as the Lucas Menget and Emmanuel Goubert, head of the department reports.

in the Face of this bleeding, Maxime Saada, director general of Canal+, said Wednesday will be ” commitment to the replacement of all the starts ” : “We need people to make a chain “, has he said, during a luncheon with the association of journalists mass media.

” there was a matter of trust “

” I look forward to the release of the strike. It could have been shorter but we may need to pass by there because there was a question of trust “, reacted Maxime Saada, the director-general of Canal+. the ” We have given commitments on the positioning of the chain of continuous information, just with a staining-new “, he said.

” We also take commitments on the independence, has assured Mr. Saada. the in Particular through the appointment of a chief information officer delegate who will be the guarantor, with Serge Nedjar. “The latter, from the Direct Morning, the free daily by the Bolloré group, combines the posts of director of the string department and director of the writing, a point that was disputed by the editorial. the ” It is a matter of sovereignty, has found Mr. Saada. It is we who will choose the director. “

The editorial offices will remain ” separate ” with Direct Morning, on the other hand has assured the DG of Canal+. The creation of an entity called “news factory” in the building of i-Tv and the move of the free daily newspaper in the same local had during the strike raised concerns of journalists, Direct Morning is known to give space to topics relating to the group Bolloré and Vivendi.

” On Jean-Marc Morandini [the facilitator indicted for corruption of minors], we are committed to the same rigor as the rest of the grid ‘ , said Mr. Saada said that the date of his return to the antenna was not fixed but would coincide probably with the launch of CNews, the new name of the chain. Journalists also obtained the right not to work with Mr. Morandini, if they so wish.

concessions limited

On the substance of the claims, management has made concessions over the terms of departure, made possible by activating the conscience clause due to the implementation of the antenna of Jean-Marc Morandini, indicted for corruption of minors : the employees will be able to leave with two months ‘ seniority, with a floor of at least six months for less old.

The workers demanded, especially concessions on the editorial, principally of guarantees of independence for the journalists of the channel, which is the dread of being subjected to the wishes of Vivendi and its largest shareholder, the Bolloré group. The editorial asked for a charter of independence, an ethics committee and a separation of the roles of director of the string, and writing. On the first two points, the management is committed to quickly create a new ethics committee – as the CSA had asked him to do – and develop a new charter, as required by the law on the independence of the media, which should be soon promulgated.

A run-down budget

Now, the challenge for the team will be working in a new framework. the ” Vincent Bolloré has been the arm wrestling to get a submission form from writing “, considers a journalist.

on The side of the direction, the site is the development of CNews : exceeded in an audience with BFM-TV, to compete with LCI and weakened by the strike, the string must be ” to differentiate ” thanks to the forces of the Vivendi group, including on the sport, believes Mr. Saada. The group was also cited in the film, entertainment and international.

The officer has accepted a part of ” responsibility ” in the breakdown of the trust with the teams : ” I have not been able to give details on CNews in the drafting because any leak immediately. “

According to Vivendi, i-Tv has a budget of 60 million euros per year, including 35 recipes and 25 losses. the ” We want to approach profitability, “ assured Mr Saada, while recognizing : ” It’s going to need that you spend less and I don’t know yet how. “

so far, the track of a sale is excluded by Mr. Bolloré, has assured Mr. Saada : ” I knew it was a topic of profitability so I pointed out to him that there was a window of sale. He was not convinced. It considers that this is an important asset. “