The Maison de la radio, in Paris, February 3, 2023. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
A journalist who denounced, in 2021, “a sexist atmosphere” at Radio France and wanted to see his resignation reclassified as dismissal linked to this climate, was rejected by the courts, according to a judgment consulted on Wednesday September 27 by Agence France-Presse (AFP), confirming information from the Point.
The Paris industrial tribunal considered, in a judgment rendered on April 17 and notified on September 18, that this journalist in the sports department, Amaia Cazenave, “contributed actively and grossly to this atmosphere” within the local France Bleu Pays Basque.
Furthermore, she “never entered the alert cell (…)seeming to be satisfied with the deleterious climate, to which she contributes, and which she denounces on the occasion of her departure”, continues the judgment. Radio France had included in the file comments of a sexual nature attributed to Ms. Cazenave, including “I’m a fan of ass” or “yesterday, I got smashed in Biarritz”. Asked by AFP, Ms. Cazenave did not wish to react or indicate whether she was appealing. “We do not comment on court decisions”for its part declared Radio France to AFP.
Amaia Cazenave was one of the witnesses in the documentary I’m not a bitch, I’m a journalist, by Marie Portolano on sexism in sports editorial offices, broadcast on March 21, 2021 by Canal+. In the process, Radio France launched an investigation led by an external expert.
An internal investigation opened at Radio France in 2021
Based on eighty interviews, this investigation concluded that there was a “very harsh working environment justifying stress, violence and sexism”as well as a tolerance to “serious behavior” in various services. The investigation resulted in eleven disciplinary procedures, then nine sanctions announced at the end of October 2021. Among them, two dismissals, three layoffs with suspension of salary and four reprimands.
These procedures notably concerned France Bleu Pays basque and the sports department of Radio France, implicated by Amaia Cazenave. The latter resigned from Radio France at the beginning of March 2021, before the broadcast of the documentary, then joined the newspaper in April The Parisian.
She had contacted the industrial tribunal in March 2022, requesting that her resignation be reclassified and considered as the equivalent of a dismissal solely due to Radio France. She argued that“she had no choice but to resign to protect her health”and demanded a total of 337,000 euros from the public group.