In a statement released September 25, the FERC-CGT — the Federation of Education, Research and Culture, the union federation representing Arkose employees — announced that the company’s routesetters would strike to “defend [their] rights.” According to the statement, Arkose setters have been raising concerns for months about worsening working conditions and a lack of recognition for their work, without receiving a response from management. The strike, they write, “was not a decision made lightly” and comes because “talks and repeated warnings are no longer enough.” A rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. outside the company’s headquarters in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. Contacted by Vertige Media, Arkose management declined to comment.
Ten Days Too Many
The immediate trigger is spelled out in the union statement. According to the FERC-CGT, management decided over the summer, without prior consultation, to turn ten so-called “référent days” into production days. The distinction matters for setters’ day-to-day workload. “Référent days,” named after Arkose’s “référent” routesetters, are devoted to maintenance work: adjusting existing boulder problems, organizing holds, sorting hardware, and cleaning and maintaining the mats and brushes. Production days, by contrast, mean setting new routes or boulder problems — work that takes longer and is more physically demanding. In the union’s view, the change means more work for the same pay.
The newsletter that lifts you higher
Every Wednesday: the editorial team’s column, the best articles, and plenty of surprises to help you climb higher — in mind and in spirit.
The dispute directly affects Arkose’s “référent” routesetters, permanent employees who number around ten across the company. Unlike the chain’s roving setters, who move from gym to gym — thirteen in the Paris region and roughly thirty across France and Europe — the “référent” setters are the only employees directly affected by the change. According to information obtained by Vertige Media, participation in the strike is expected to be high, particularly in the Paris region.
The FERC-CGT had requested a meeting to explore other options. Management made acceptance of the change a precondition for any discussion. With talks at an impasse, the federation called the strike. The union has two demands: keep the current number of “référent days” and open negotiations over working conditions and the organization of production days.
Tensions Were Already Building
The strike is not coming out of nowhere. In July, Vertige Media published an investigation into working conditions at Arkose gyms during a heat wave. Several employees described gyms turning into ovens, with temperatures sometimes climbing above 104°F (40°C), while management refused to close despite the extreme heat, citing the “need to maintain operations.” “This way of putting productivity ahead of employees’ health is not what I thought climbing was about,” one Arkose employee told Vertige Media. The union statement also points to employees leaving without being replaced, reduced or canceled hold orders, and wages that have remained flat even as inflation begins to rise again.
The dispute is also unfolding at a difficult time for the climbing-gym industry as a whole. In late July, the holding company Climb Up Investissements and several of its operating companies entered court-supervised restructuring proceedings. Vertical Art closed its Lyon gym in 2025. And Climbing District, one of France’s major climbing-gym chains, has just announced a leadership change amid financial difficulties.
Arkose has cited this broader environment in explaining some of its decisions. But for the FERC-CGT, the industry’s difficulties do not justify worsening working conditions for the people who keep the gyms running every day.
