A proposed merger involving the French telecommunications company SFR, with Orange, Bouygues, and Free as potential buyers, has triggered significant labor disputes. Unions such as CFDT, CFTC, and Unsa are demanding stronger protections for employees, warning that the current acquisition plan offers insufficient guarantees against job losses. According to Le Monde, SFR employees are planning a strike on September 24, following failed negotiations last week. The unions hope to influence key meetings scheduled for September 21, 25, and 30. The main issue is the lack of job security for SFR’s workforce. Employee representatives are pushing for three reclassification offers per worker—one from each acquiring company—instead of the single offer currently proposed. While the acquisition plan includes a training assistance clause offering up to 4,000 euros for new job training, this is only available on a case-by-case basis and does not guarantee employment. Unions argue that the risk of mass layoffs is real, with many employees fearing for their jobs after the acquisition. The distribution of jobs among the acquiring companies is uneven. Bouygues has pledged to bring 2,385 SFR Business employees into its fold, while Orange and Free will absorb 235 and 53 employees, respectively. For the 2,000 retail workers, only about 600 are expected to be integrated into the acquiring companies’ stores. The remaining employees face an uncertain future, and subsidiaries like Altice Technical Services—employing 3,000 people for network maintenance—will not be part of the acquisition at all. Unions are also calling for employment conditions similar to those of a 2017 protection plan, which they say the current proposal falls at least 40% short of. Meanwhile, SFR’s financial performance continues to decline, making it less competitive in the market. This has led to real-life consequences for some employees, who report being denied loans when presenting SFR pay stubs to banks, according to Les Échos. The Competition Authority has not yet approved the acquisition, and while it does not regulate employment matters, the situation is complex enough that all possible outcomes remain open. The outcome of this acquisition will have major implications for both the company’s future and the livelihoods of thousands of its employees.