Strike-hit paper will go online

WALK-OUTS by printers meant leading newspapers such as La Tribune, France Soir, Le Parisien and Le Monde failed to hit the newsstands due to protests at job cut plans.

The reaction from France Soir owner Alexandre Pougatchev – who has invested €65 million – was swift and he told staff he was moving the title online with no paper version. La Tribune, Le Monde and Le Parisien also only appeared online during the strikes.

Management at Le Monde Imprimerie reached a deal with printworkers to continue production but staff were told the presses had to be replaced and jobs cut.

The presses are more than 20 years old and poor quality has led to the loss of printing contracts for Le Journal du Dimanche, Direct Matin, The Guardian and Les Echos.

Media historian Patrick Eveno told Nouvel Observateur the problem was major investment in expensive printing presses could no longer be justified if readers were moving to the web.