The sling continues to rise within the editorial staff of Les Echos. After the signature strike initiated at the end of March for 24 hours, the editorial staff of the economic daily owned by the LVMH group could go on strike as early as Thursday. The decision is expected to be taken at 17 p.m. at a general assembly organized by the Society of Journalists (SDJ). The latter had announced a few hours earlier in the day its intention to request the change of electorate for the upcoming appointment of the new managing editor. The LDS wants to exclude freelancers from the vote. "The CEO of the group Les Echos-Le Parisien Pierre Louette explained that he had no intention of changing the statutes of the newspaper, written in 2007," slips a source close.
Since the departure in March of Nicolas Barré from his position as editorial director, journalists have denounced an interventionism by their shareholder Bernard Arnault. "The press release announcing the departure of Nicolas Barré from his post cannot hide the reality that is that of his brutal eviction by the shareholder in contradiction with the guarantees of independence bitterly negotiated at the time of the takeover of Les Échos by LVMH in 2007," wrote a few weeks ago in a statement the Society of Journalists (SDJ).
François Vidal, a close collaborator of Nicolas Barré and deputy editorial director, has been acting since then. According to our information, it is he who is approached to officially take the head of the newspaper. According to the statutes of the business daily, the editorial staff will be asked to vote whether or not to approve the appointment of the new managing editor.