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Air France unions threaten more strike action in September

The Local France
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Air France unions threaten more strike action in September
Photo: AFP

Unions representing Air France workers have threatened to ground more flights in September as a pay dispute with the airline's bosses rumbles on.

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Air France unions have been holding strike action since February in a bid to earn pay rises across the board.

The 15 days of strikes held between February and June will cost the airline €300 million and saw the CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac resign after a staff vote aimed at ending the industrial action backfired.

The strikes also prompted the government's economy minister to warn that the future of the airline was at stake.

Air France had offered staff a general wage increase of seven percent over four years from 2018 to 2021 in addition to the individual increases of around one percent in 2018.
 
However unions have been demanding an immediate wage increase of 5.1 percent, after initially demanding a six percent rise.
 
With no deal in sight unions have threatened more strikes even if Air France do not name a new permanent CEO.

“The dispute over salaries will restart with or without a CEO, from the month of September. Only a satisfactory agreement will end it," read a statement for the joint union group representing pilots, cabin crew and ground staff.

"The hasty departure of Mr Janaillac highlighted the structural weakness of our organisation. The administrative council does not know how to get over this crisis.”

So anyone with Air France flights booked for September will have to keep their fingers crossed that a deal can be reached, even if that looks unlikely.

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