Several French airports hit by public sector worker strike today
Delays and disruptions are expected especially in the south-west
Several flights have already been cancelled
William Perugini/Shutterstock
A civil servant strike is set to cause disruption to a number of sectors today (May 13) including at several airports as five major unions back walkouts.
Flights to and from Pau airport in the south-west are cancelled as air traffic controllers join the action, the French Civil Aviation Authority (Direction générale de l’aviation civile, DGAC) has announced. Several flights to and from Tarbes are also impacted.
Disruptions are also expected at Limoges, Marseille, and Paris Orly airports although as of 07:45 this morning delays were minimal.
Those travelling to or from these airports should keep up to date with the latest information through their airline company and online departure boards where possible.
Compensation may not be possible under current rules as strikes by non-airline staff are often considered ‘extraordinary circumstances’.
Issues in the sector include sick pay, indexing of salaries to skill levels, and staff numbers among other issues.
Widespread strike action by air traffic controllers over a renegotiation of the job role took place prior to the Paris 2024 Olympics, however the sector has been relatively quiet since.
The renegotiated terms are yet to be agreed upon by air traffic control unions and the DGAC.
Strike action hits several sectors but disruption limited
Despite a wider call for civil servants to walk out today, public hospitals and the education sector are expected to be largely unaffected.
In the case of hospitals, a strike on April 3 saw just 3.2% of workers join, with similar numbers expected to walk out today.
A longer, separate strike has been called in the sector by the healthcare wing of CGT union for several months, and in many cases, ‘striking’ health staff at hospitals still carry out medical duties meaning the level of care should remain unaffected.
Teaching unions called on some members to strike, but disruptions are set to be minimal as the school year slowly comes to an end.
In cases where primary schools are closed due to strike action, parents will have been told in advance.
A concerted effort for strike action to take place surrounding the start of the 2025-2026 school year is expected, with unions and teachers more likely focusing on this instead.
Elsewhere, public services – particularly administration – may be closed or have shorter working hours today due to staff walking out.
This includes services such as France Travail (formerly pôle emploi).
A second public sector strike is scheduled for Thursday May 15, including many of the same sectors, with further disruption expected.
This includes a wider call for strike action in the social-medical sector, with carers also set to join.
Workers in the affected sectors are calling for a pay rise.
