SFR: Unions warn government of massive job cuts if operator dismantled

Olivier Lelong doesn't hide his bitterness. "In all the articles about a SFR takeover, what matters is the future of customers or the price of subscriptions ," laments the central CFDT union representative for the operator with the red square. "On the other hand, no one cares about the future of employees. Yet there are thousands of people who risk losing their jobs."

While the sector is currently considering a sale of SFR, owned by Patrick Drahi's Altice France group, its direct competitors (Orange, Bouygues Telecom, and Free) see it as an opportunity to consolidate the sector, with the ambition of returning to three operators to boost their revenues. But since, due to competition rules, no one can buy France's number two telecoms company alone, they have been discussing for weeks a division of its assets, notably its 25 million customers, with the hope of reaching common ground to send a letter of intent to purchase to Mr. Drahi.

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