French publishers make staff part-time to secure government assistance

Major French publishers are making their staff part-time under new measures announced by the government to help companies survive the lockdown imposed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on Friday that the two-week lockdown, which began on 17th March, would be extended at least to 15th April.

“Most houses have suspended the bulk of their activities,” said Pierre Dutilleul, director of the French Publishers Association (Syndicat de l’Edition National, SNE). They are maintaining their accounting, human resources and other vital services through teleworking, and most are taking up the government’s 17th March offer to cover 84% of net salaries for personnel working part-time, he told The Bookseller. But most have halted book manufacturing, marketing and much of their distribution.

Book deliveries to Amazon and supermarket groups are slowing as customer demand focuses mainly on food and other daily necessities, Dutilleul said. Apart from part-time working, some large publishers are opting for temporary layoffs/technical unemployment. So far they have not turned to compulsory paid holidays or compensation time for overtime beyond the 35-hour week, he added. Small publishers are teleworking to keep their businesses going.

E-books are taking up some of the slack. The French Eden Books platform, owned by Madrigall—parent company of Gallimard and Flammarion—Media Participations and other publishers is reporting a 100% increase in sales from the usual level, Dutilleul said. Izneo, the comic book platform, is also flourishing with a series of promotions.

Actes Sud in the south of France suspended the group’s activities for two weeks from 19th March. Some staff are teleworking, partly to “respond to our authors,” c.e.o. Fran√ßoise Nyssen told The Bookseller. “Authors do not qualify for partial unemployment pay, so are particularly penalized.” She was speaking just hours before culture minister Franck Riester announced that authors would benefit from a number of government measures, such as a ‚Ǩ1,500 solidarity subsidy, and delayed rent, utility bill, and social security payments.

For Nyssen, the determining factor for the company to resume work will be the reopening of bookshops. She is in favour of classifying books as an essential item, and allowing independent booksellers to resume trading. Finance minister Bruno Lemaire floated this idea recently. But the French Booksellers Association said indies should stay shut to protect the health of staff and customers, and that publishers should stop delivering to Amazon and supermarket groups.

Trade unions do not necessarily welcome the partial unemployment mechanism. Martine Prosper, general secretary of the book publishing branch of the Confédération Fran√ßaise Démocratique du Travail (CFDT), is worried that publishers will claim the cash to pay staff “who can and must continue their activities through teleworking,” she said in a statement. Editorial departments working on new titles an average of six months before launch are now preparing releases for the second half of 2020 or even 2021.