Air France Pilots To Go On Strike Mid Euro-2016
MEP: With the European football championships in France in full swing, 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.
Air France pilot unions SNPL, SPAF and ALTER said in a statement late on June 17 they would strike again from June 24-27. They said the decision to go ahead with a new bout of action was made after a meeting with Air France management failed to reach any agreements.
The unions said they were downing tools after management made “very vague promises” in negotiations during the last strike between June 11 and 14.
Pilots complain that new pay rules, which were recently decided by the airline management, would lower their salaries by five percent.
The previous strike grounded around 20 percent of flights — mainly to mid-range destinations.
According to the statement, the pilots had again demanded immediate decisions on the future size of the airline’s fleet and investment plan. Moreover, the pilots were continuing to ask for salary increases and a say in management decisions, an arrangement “found nowhere in the world and incompatible with responsible business management,” Air France said.
