Trade unions representing employees of SFR, a major French telecommunications operator, have requested access to documents related to a proposed sale of the company to three competitors: Bouygues Telecom, Iliad (known as Free), and Orange. The deal is valued at 20.35 billion euros. In a statement shared on Friday, September 11, the secretary of the central CSE (Company Social Committee) of Altice-France, which owns SFR, said that legal proceedings have been initiated. The unions aim to obtain documents, information, and responses from the company's management regarding the proposed sale. In an internal email to employees also obtained by AFP, the management of Altice France confirmed that it has been taken to court. They assured employees that they have provided the unions with "the most complete information available, in line with the basic principles of competition law." This comes after the three competing firms formed a consortium in June and reached an agreement to purchase SFR for 20.35 billion euros, with plans to share its assets. Altice France has begun consulting employee representative bodies on the deal and its implementation. The deadline for obtaining their opinion, originally set for September 11, has been extended to October 6. Meanwhile, elected representatives of SFR employees are continuing negotiations with the three potential buyers, expressing concerns about the future of jobs and working conditions. The three main trade unions representing SFR employees announced on Wednesday a joint call for a strike on September 24 in the afternoon, as they are dissatisfied with the current proposals from the consortium. Before the sale can be finalized, it must be approved by the Competition Authority by December 6. The buyers have estimated that the sale will be completed in the second half of 2027, once all legal and regulatory requirements are met.