The decision by the Commercial Court to place the companies of the Nice-Matin group under judicial recovery procedures has mobilized the political world. It is the communist representatives of the department who are showing their solidarity.
The announcement by the Commercial Court of Nice on May 26th of the opening of a judicial recovery procedure for the companies Nice-Matin and Publinice Services and a judicial safeguard procedure for the company Eurosud Côte d’Azur, while preserving the possibilities of the company’s sustainability, nonetheless remains a concerning development for all employees but also for the future of the press since it is subject to financial profitability imperatives.
Especially since this latest decision follows other developments such as the transaction between Lagardère Active Médias group and G.M.H. in July 2007, or the expressed intention of the G.H.M. group to sell the Nice-Matin headquarters, located on the Grenoble road in April 2010, which had triggered a social conflict.
At that time, we affirmed our solidarity with the employees already buffeted by contradictory announcements and warned about the dangers of a logic solely concerned with short-term profitability which was seeing the press space and pluralism shrink under the pressure of large financial groups: “Beyond the legitimate struggle for job preservation, it is the entire question of preserving the independence of the press from financial power and respecting pluralism that is illustrated in this conflict.”
We understand all the more the anxiety and bitterness of the employees in the face of this new twist, since they had already made tremendous efforts during the negotiation of an Employment Safeguard Plan signed by the unions 5 months ago. However, one consequence of this procedure risks questioning all the hard-won measures of this E.S.P. with a significant impact on employees. On the other hand, we can only be surprised by the lack of condemnation of the Hersant Group for not respecting its commitments made before the Paris commercial court in early 2013, notably to support the cash flow of Nice-Matin and to finance the restructuring of the company to ensure the group’s sustainability. Especially from those who multiply declarations of intention and try through this means to settle political scores that have nothing to do with the interests of Nice-Matin employees or the future of employment and the press in the Alpes-Maritimes.
We strongly reaffirm our solidarity with the employees and their organizations because we know that only their mobilization and vigilance can lead to an outcome that not only preserves employment in the department but also maintains an efficient tool in publishing. The victory of Fralibs against a multinational should be an encouragement for them not to give up, and we assure them of all our commitment alongside them in this battle.
