Joint Trade Union Statement

Wednesday December 2, 2009

"The joint trade unions representing all categories of HQ-status staff at AFP on Wednesday decided to hold a staff referendum on the plan to reform the company’s statutes defended by CEO Pierre Louette.

The consultation is to take place between January 12 and 26 inclusive, using an electronic voting system.

All headquarters-status staff around the world who are eligible to vote in the biennial staff elections will be qualified to take part, with the rolls being updated before the event.

The joint unions deplore the fact that for lack of a list of non-HQ-status staff around the world, we cannot ask them to take part in the vote. Such a list has been requested, but never provided.

Voters will be asked to answer the following question:

"Approuvez-vous le projet de nouveau statut défendu par le Pdg et comportant la transformation de l’AFP en société par actions ?".

("Do you approve of the plans for new statutes defended by the CEO and involving the transformation of AFP into a joint-stock company?")

A steering committee has been set up to organise the referendum, comprising two representatives from each union (one journalist and one non-journalist). The joint unions have invited the Société des Journalistes (SDJ) to nominate an observer to sit on the committee.

Joint CFE-CGC - CFDT - CGT - FO - SNJ - SUD trade unions at AFP

PS:

• The decision to hold the referendum was announced before the Cultural Affairs Commitee of the French National Assembly (the lower house of Parliament), where union representatives were auditioned on Wednesday afternoon.
• Elsewhere on this site, a translated extract from the Louette report