Air strike called off

FRENCH air traffic controllers have called off this week’s second strike after talks with the DGAC national aviation authority – however, they have maintained their threat of a new strike from April 30 to May 2 if there is no significant progress.

News that this week’s strike, from Thursday to Saturday, has been lifted is a boost for families in school zones A and C as it would have hit their spring holiday. But the threat of the later strike would hit families in the UK as it comes during a bank holiday.

The SNCTA union’s decision came after talks yesterday called by the transport ministry. The ministry asked the DGAC to come up with a new framework of negotiations that would recognise the “special nature” of air traffic control work.

This was agreed and SNCTA saw this as vital as the industry undergoes a reorganisation to give flexible and more productive working at busy seasons.

The union said proposed negotiations for the whole industry at DGAC level were not viable as the controllers made up only 4,000 of the 11,500 employed in the industry. Plans to raise the retirement age from 57 to 59 will now be discussed separately from the rest of the industry.

The government has already received a report on working conditions for controllers that recommends giving more time off at busy periods – meaning more but shorter breaks.

Last week’s 48-hour strike by the SNCTA saw 1,300 French airline flights cancelled – about one in two flights – and was estimated to have cost airlines across Europe €50million. French air space is the busiest in Europe with 8,000 flights a day.