"Radio France Internationale's strike against layoffs resumed on 1st September after a break over the summer. A mass meeting of employees voted 94-eight, with 22 abstentions, to start industrial action again. Strike leaders reported that negotiations with management the previous day had proved fruitless, accusing the bosses of refusing to drop a redundancy plan which would mean 22 per cent of the workforce leaving. ... It is the longest public broadcasting strike since the 1968 general strike. Management claims that the plan, which involves the closure of several language services and departures in others, is necessary to 'modernise' the station."

The strike began on 12 May 2009 and affected RFI’s broadcasts, but the action was suspended in July, in order not to affect summertime listening. On its website, RFI says that “because of a strike call, the RFI broadcasts and website updates are in disarray” and is offering its apologies.

Six foreign language desks would be closed: German, Albanian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish and Laotian. Unions want the job cuts to be replaced by voluntary redundancies.

On September 4 the strike at RFI is hardening because 80 journalists have joined the strike after a technician who was about to start working on the Portuguese for Africa programme was ordered to move to another studio to ensure broadcast of the French-language service. The Portuguese broadcast was cancelled as a result. Director delegate Geneviève Goëtzinger said that since the strike resumed the priority was to ensure broadcast of the French service owing to events in Gabon! Don't expect it to end soon.

An RFI workers committee has taken the case to court. On 14 September, an appeals court in Paris is to consider whether the restructuring plan should be declared null and void.The verdict will be announced Monday, September 28,this decision will be crucial for RFI's employees.