The headquarters of the European information chain will be sold. For journalists, it is “the end of a model”, and for the SNJ, an “almost total dismantling”.
by Richard Schittly (Lyon, correspondent)
“It’s a terrible day, we have the impression that the dream of a European chain is shattered,” says Charles (assumed first name), Thursday, March 2, in front of the headquarters of Euronews, In Lyon, while the European channel management has just announced 198 layoffs, during an extraordinary social and economic advice (CSE). The forty -something journalist prefers not to give his name, given the social context.
“The spirit of this house was to bring together journalists of all nationalities in the same place, so that they meet their eyes. All this is dismantled. Humanly, it is extremely hard,” continues Charles , his face marked, convinced that he saw “the end of fifteen years of work, passionate”. In the hall and the corridors of the six floors of the Saône edges building, the mines are overwhelmed.
Employees have experienced three job safeguarding plans (PSE) in six years, in this company with thirty different nationalities. The measures of this are unprecedented. It is a question of removing almost half of the workforce, currently made up of 478 employees.
a European version of CNN
According to an internal press release from the local section of the National Syndicate of Journalists (SNJ), this “massive postal” abolition is accompanied by a “redeployment of journalists”, “within six months”. The management envisages the opening of a central drafting in Brussels, as well as six offices in Rome, Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid and London, the principle being to return journalists to their countries of origin. French nationality journalists would remain in Lyon. But also Russian, Iranian and Turkish, because of the dangers to exercise their profession in their country. This would represent a workforce of 142 people maintained in Lyon. “The dismantling of our chain in Lyon is now almost total”, estimates the SNJ.
The sale of the famous building to the apple green metal facade is no longer in doubt. A sales mandate was activated at the start of the year to market the 10,000 square meters of the site. A blow for the city of Lyon, as the establishment of the headquarters of Euronews symbolized the retraining of the futuristic district of Confluence, south of the agglomeration. Created in 1993 in Ecully, west of Lyon, the chain had moved to this new seat, wanting a European version of CNN. The plan announced today provides for the outsourcing of several services, such as the final management, the production of magazines, or the service of schedules.
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