Olympic Games and AFP… The key is to anticipate!

The key is to anticipate! That’s the slogan the Paris public transit system has chosen to inform Parisians about traveling during the Olympic Games. It’s good advice that AFP’s management should take to heart, but hasn’t in certain areas, in particular the planning of summer holidays. The result is that staff will pay the price in higher rental prices and maybe even not being able to vacation with family.

Our coverage of the Olympic Games in AFP’s hometown is of major importance for the Agency’s reputation. Management realizes this and intense preparations have been underway for months. Unfortunately, not everything is settled. If managers have selected the teams (photo, text and video) covering the Games and accredited them, vacation plans mostly haven’t been done. It’s a thankless task, but a necessary one for the well-being of staff. It will be even more complicated task this year given that several events taking place in addition to the Olympic Games, meaning many of us are likely to get less time off during July and August, and not necessarily the time we want.

Some are becoming frustrated, justifiably, that they still don’t have their summer vacation requests approved. First, because they are losing the chance to reserve places affordably, which is important when our purchasing power has been eroded (see our previous statement). Requests to reserve affordable getaways offered by the CSE are due by February 25. You can always take a chance, but risk being disappointed if your vacation request is refused.

Secondly, some companies which close in August are willing to allow their employees to exceptionally take time off in July if their spouses must work during the Games. But to profit from this, requests must be turned in soon. It would be a shame if some AFP families couldn’t vacation together this year due to a lack of anticipation by our management.

Senior management can’t say it is unaware of the issue. SUD posed a question in December on the issue of taking vacation this coming summer. The answer: “Management met to discuss all the impacts of this coverage. Certain points still need to be clarified. The teams will be informed as soon as possible of the measures taken.” We’re now in mid-February. One production service that will be heavily involved in the Olympics coverage has asked its journalists to submit their vacation requests by the end of March… Certainly there is a lack of anticipation by senior management who know full well that there are problems in ensuring holiday planning even during normal years.

There are other questions: will AFP staff be able to work from home more frequently during the Olympics? According to the accord on working from home, which SUD signed, the maximum of 2 days per week can be increased in exceptional circumstances. It is clear that the French authorities want those who can to work from home during the Games to avoid needlessly overwhelming Paris’s already overburdened public transport system. There may not yet be a government decree, but can’t our management anticipate? Finally, those who are covering not only the Games themselves, but events connected to them, will they receive anything extra? SUD has requested this, but so far, no answer.

If the key is to anticipate, why not at AFP?

Paris, February 15, 2024

SUD-AFP (Solidarity-Unity-Democracy)