Air France pilots threaten strike
SNPL union warns that strike notice will be filed on Thursday in ongoing dispute over reform plans for Air France-KLM
AIR FRANCE pilots are set to strike next month in an ongoing dispute over reorganisation plans for the company.
The National Union of Pilots (SNPL) yesterday promised that it would file notice of its members’ intention to strike on Thursday.
Jean-Louis Barber, president of SNPL France Alpa said: “We will file a notice on Thursday… because the threat to our jobs is too great.”
In an open letter to Air France-KLM CEO Alexander Juniac, he also wrote that the union “is determined to be heard so that the necessary reforms are implemented”.
Union members voted in principle for strike action last month, before Air France-KLM unveiled its latest reorganisation plan, called Perform 2020.
SNPL is concerned that the latest programme of reform raises the same concerns as its predecessor, Transform 2015.
The new strategic plan calls for a redistribution of short- and medium-haul routes between Air France and its regional subsidiary Hop!.
It also aims to develop low-cost airline Transavia across European routes. Further details should be revealed in the next few weeks.
Air France-KLM has warned that it expects to face a “difficult environment with overcapacity on certain long-haul routes”, but has said that the Transform 2015 plan to reduce debt and cut costs are expected to bear fruit before the Perform 2020 programme kicks in.
