Reuters reporters strike in France

Paris, Dec 17 (AFP) Journalists working for the Reuters news agency in France went on strike on Tuesday, six months after more than half the news agency's French service was laid off. The walkout, backed by "a huge majority" of reporters, was sparked by six people on its photo desk being told by telephone that they were also to be sacked, staff said.

They feared the "incomprehensible" wave of cuts would hit the quality of Reuters' service by slashing photo desk in half. Reuters' management told AFP that only its French service would be affected by the strike and it would maintain "a solid service in English".

US-Canadian-owned Thomson Reuters said last year that it was cutting 3,200 employees over two years -- 12 per cent of its staff. Non-English language jobs have been worst hit by the cuts at Reuters, which employed 80 people in its Paris before the reorganisation began.

Twenty people were made redundant from Reuters' Paris office six months ago. It is one of the world's big three news agencies along with AFP and the Associated Press. (AFP) PMS

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