Air France pilots to go on 4-day strike amid Euro 2016 games
Pilots with the French flag carrier, Air France, are set to walk out of their jobs over pay cuts as the country is hosting the Euro 2016 soccer tournament.
Three major pilot unions said on Friday that they were going on strike between June 24 and June 27 after the Air France management made “very vague promises” in negotiations during the last industrial action on June 11-14.
Pilots complain that new pay rules, which were recently decided by the airline management, would lower their salaries by five percent.
Air France pilots’ previous action, which ended on June 14, grounded around 20 percent of domestic and international flights and cost the carrier more than EUR 40 million (USD 45 million).
The Air France management said only a quarter of pilots joined the walk-out earlier this month, but unions said the figure was about seven in 10.
The planned work stoppage by pilots is the latest strike to hit France that has been witnessing violent protests and strikes over the Socialist government’s contentious changes to the labor law in recent months.
The actions have affected rail services, power stations, oil refineries, ports and waste treatment plans.
The tensions come as France is hosting the Euro 2016 football championship, which is estimated to draw some two million visitors to the country.
Paris says the proposed labor reforms focus on maximum working hours, holidays and breaks, and are aimed at curbing the unemployment rate.
Demonstrators and trade unions, however, say the government wants to make it easier and less costly for employers to lay off workers.
The draft labor bill was forced through the lower house of parliament, but it must be debated in the Senate for final approval.
French officials have rejected calls to withdraw the labor reforms and vowed to stand firm on the unpopular measures.
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