'Everything is increasing except our wages': Workers walk out at Paris airport
At least one in four planes remained grounded on Thursday morning at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport due to a strike by ground staff.
The Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA) asked companies to limit flights from 7am until 2pm on Thursday. Around 100 total flights at the airport were scrapped, with Air France, one of the main airlines operating from CDG, saying it has cancelled 85 short to medium haul flights as a result of the strike.
Delays are expected to continue throughout the day, according to the ADP (Aéroports de Paris).
The company specified that they also expect "schedule changes on long-haul flights" and that "customers affected will be contacted directly." Most passenger delays have reported experiencing delays of around 30-40 minutes, and .
Airport employees are striking for better working conditions, a wage increase of €300 and the hiring of more staff, as airlines internationally suffer key staff shortages in the backdrop of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the airline industry is expecting air traffic to resume to 95 percent of its 2019 level this summer, as more people take advantage of the opportunity to travel with relaxed Covid-19 rules.
Soutien aux avitailleurs et aux travailleurs des aéroports ! 💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/bJK69qcxhW
— cgt exxonmobil (@cgtexxonmobil) May 31, 2022
"Everything is increasing, except our wages," said CDG airport unions in a joint leaflet. The union estimates that at least 15,000 jobs have been lost in the last two years due to the health crisis, which has "put pressure on employees."
Thursday's strike will be the second day where travel is impacted in Paris' airports, after security guards at airports Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly went on strike Wednesday, June 8th to protest staff shortages.
Staff shortages have been an issue across European airports. In recent weeks, hundreds of flights have been cancelled at airports such as Amsterdam-Schiphol or Frankfurt. The same phenomenon is playing out in the UK as well.
In some European airports, staff shortages have already led to huge messes, such as in Amsterdam-Schiphol or Frankfurt, where flights have had to be canceled in recent weeks due to ground staff shortages.
In the United Kingdom, where airline unions have already protested layoffs during the pandemic period, several flights were also cancelled just ahead of the Queen's jubilee due to shortages.
In France, it is possible the social movement will continue beyond June 9th. Unions reported that letters have been sent to the various airlines operating at Charles-de-Gaulle airport, and that they are still awaiting a response form Air France.
Meanwhile, ADP, whose staff took pay cuts to survive the coronavirus crisis, has said salary negotiations with the trade unions will take place from June 14.
When will the strike end? "It is the employees who will decide in a general meeting," said the union, specifying that they are not seeking an indefinite strike, but that the goal is to have their demands heard. "Today, the situation is critical."
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The Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA) asked companies to limit flights from 7am until 2pm on Thursday. Around 100 total flights at the airport were scrapped, with Air France, one of the main airlines operating from CDG, saying it has cancelled 85 short to medium haul flights as a result of the strike.
Delays are expected to continue throughout the day, according to the ADP (Aéroports de Paris).
The company specified that they also expect "schedule changes on long-haul flights" and that "customers affected will be contacted directly." Most passenger delays have reported experiencing delays of around 30-40 minutes, and .
Airport employees are striking for better working conditions, a wage increase of €300 and the hiring of more staff, as airlines internationally suffer key staff shortages in the backdrop of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the airline industry is expecting air traffic to resume to 95 percent of its 2019 level this summer, as more people take advantage of the opportunity to travel with relaxed Covid-19 rules.
Soutien aux avitailleurs et aux travailleurs des aéroports ! 💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/bJK69qcxhW
— cgt exxonmobil (@cgtexxonmobil) May 31, 2022
"Everything is increasing, except our wages," said CDG airport unions in a joint leaflet. The union estimates that at least 15,000 jobs have been lost in the last two years due to the health crisis, which has "put pressure on employees."
Thursday's strike will be the second day where travel is impacted in Paris' airports, after security guards at airports Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly went on strike Wednesday, June 8th to protest staff shortages.
Staff shortages have been an issue across European airports. In recent weeks, hundreds of flights have been cancelled at airports such as Amsterdam-Schiphol or Frankfurt. The same phenomenon is playing out in the UK as well.
In some European airports, staff shortages have already led to huge messes, such as in Amsterdam-Schiphol or Frankfurt, where flights have had to be canceled in recent weeks due to ground staff shortages.
In the United Kingdom, where airline unions have already protested layoffs during the pandemic period, several flights were also cancelled just ahead of the Queen's jubilee due to shortages.
In France, it is possible the social movement will continue beyond June 9th. Unions reported that letters have been sent to the various airlines operating at Charles-de-Gaulle airport, and that they are still awaiting a response form Air France.
Meanwhile, ADP, whose staff took pay cuts to survive the coronavirus crisis, has said salary negotiations with the trade unions will take place from June 14.
When will the strike end? "It is the employees who will decide in a general meeting," said the union, specifying that they are not seeking an indefinite strike, but that the goal is to have their demands heard. "Today, the situation is critical."
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