Paris--A fierce struggle pitting striking unions at French public radio and its cost-cutting young boss looked set to worsen Wednesday after the chief executive, Mathieu Gallet, vowed to see through a plan to cut 300 jobs.
"I still have four years of my mandate and during those four years I will not let up," said Gallet, an ambitious 38-year-old with the looks and smooth delivery of a TV host, who was appointed to the top post at Radio France a year ago.
His uncompromising performance to lawmakers on a parliamentary cultural commission Wednesday set the scene for further digging-in by both sides in what is already Radio France's worst-ever labour dispute.
The strike started March 19 and has gone on for an unprecedented three weeks with no end in sight.
Listeners used to tuning in to one of Radio France's six stations can now only hear music interspersed with occasional and very brief news breaks by non-striking journalists.
AFP
