French freelances strike and win

Pablo Aiquel outside TowerBrook in London

Image © Tim Dawson

A six-week freelance strike at French specialist title La Gazette Des Communes has concluded with a two per cent increase in rates and an agreement to re-negotiate a profit-share deal.

Around 30 contributors withheld copy in a carefully planned action to frustrate production of the weekly title. Pablo Aiquel, deputy general secretary of the union SNJ-CGT, who also writes for the paper and organised the action, explained their strategy.

"On a weekly title, there is a three-week production cycle," he said. "To have an impact, we had to strike for at least a month, and that is what we did. Each edition is build around a major feature, known as the 'Dossier'. I was the first writer to withhold my copy, and that got the ball rolling."

The strikers were members of several of the unions that represent journalists in France, and journalists who were members of none. Aiquel believes that they enjoyed the tacit support of editors. More senior managers saw advertising revenues crumble as the paper struggled to find quality material to fill its pages.

"It is a highly specialist title covering the work of local authorities," explained Aiquel. "Many of us have expertise in this area built up over decades. Fortunately this is not something that can be replicated by a few random freelances drafted in to break a strike."

The company had tried to impose a freeze on rates, despite inflation in France running at around five per cent. Aiquel concedes that in this context, a two-per cent raise is only a step in the right direction. He now hopes that a separate negotiation over a profit-share scheme will improve rates.

It was to this end that Aiquel mounted a protest outside the headquarters of the ultimate owner of the publishing company TowerBrook, a British-American private equity firm, in the West End of London. He was supported by members of the LFB committee.

© Tim Dawson