Pilots strike may cause summer chaos
Pilots union threaten strikes for the first four weekends of the summer break.
A PILOTS’ union is threatening national strikes for the first four weekends of the summer break, according to La Tribune.
The Syndicat national des pilotes de ligne (SNPL) has threatened to strike every weekend between July 10 and August 3 over a change to the law regarding union representation, which the body claims could marginalise pilots.
The SNPL wants the government to review changes to the law which were made last August and which came into force this year providing for one union with 10% of the votes from all employees to negotiate an agreement, and 30% to sign it.
They want this 10% bench mark to be calculated in relation to the number of pilots, rather than the overall number of staff, in order to ensure pilots continue to be fairly represented.
Union president Jocelyn Smykowski said: “In Air France, we have some 4,000 pilots (out of some 75,000 staff). Even if one union represented them all, it would not be able to clear the 10% bench mark of the entire company.”
The union is a major force in French airlines, notably Air France.
When the SNPL called strikes in November, some 30 – 35% of long haul Air France flights were cancelled, along with half of all other flights.
Photo: Philippe Noret - AirTeamimages
