Library president says service changes are to suit modern research practices
Strike action at France’s national library is heading into its eighth week, with a mass demonstration planned for 30 June, during a meeting of the library’s board. Workers at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France–François Mitterrand (BNF) complain that both library services and working conditions are being downgraded and are striking ahead of 2023 budget negotiations with the ministry of culture.
A joint statement of the CGT, FSU and SUD unions calling for the demonstration on 30 June told supporters: “We must act now and not in September, when there will be no more room for manoeuvre. We must obtain now the jobs and financial means that the BNF needs.” The unions are also demanding an end to redundancies and the use of temporary employment contracts.