Aircraft Air France grounded 15 September 2014 on the tarmac at ‘Charles de Gaulle airport at Roissy (AFP / Dominique Faget)
The Air France aircraft should be even rarer in the sky Tuesday, the second day of a strike that s’ long ad, the airline failing visibly reassure its drivers on the proposed development of its low cost subsidiary Transavia.
After serving less than 50% of flights on Monday, the group announced 60% of its aircraft remain on the tarmac Tuesday.
Monday, chaos, however, was avoided and kept quiet, including the Paris Roissy airport where more than 200 flights were canceled, Travellers have been warned ahead of cancellations, which were not involved “hot”. Air France indicated in particular have sent 600,000 SMS messages and to warn passengers.
But in some airports, the cancellation rate far exceeded 50%. This was the case in Toulouse (80%), Lyon (71%) or Nice (71%), where the proportion should rise to 82% Tuesday, according to the airport.
In this situation Air France has recommended that customers with flights by 22 September, the last day of the call for indefinite strike launched by the majority union SNPL Alpa AF, to “defer travel or change their tickets at no cost.” Besides SNPL, the SPAF (second union) called the movement until 20 and Alter (unrepresentative) until 18.
In Paris airports, airport sources estimated the situation Tuesday the second day of the conflict, “should be more or less the same, even if the number of canceled flights will be more important.”
“Passengers are advised upstream, there is therefore no passenger is left in the lurch,” said one of the sources.
But, assures for his part Jean-Louis Barber, president of the SNPL, “Tuesday will be even more difficult and Wednesday (traffic) Air France can be stopped,” the pilot was called in the early days to rest.
– A strike not low cost –
A movement of one week would be the longest conflict led by Air France pilots (Air France-KLM Group) since 1998.
Management evaluates the cost of “10 to 15 million” euros a day. On Monday, the CEO of Air France-KLM, Alexander Juniac, suggested that the return to profit of the French company could be compromised this year if the strike lasts.
To find a way, the Negotiations continued Monday between management and the union representative. But the SNPL has reported a
dialogue “blocked” and warned that the strike would continue “until management philosophy will not change.” This movement is related to the expansion conditions Transavia .
The unions have complained of “competitive” pilot in the group and fear that the new strategic plan “Perform 2020″ opens the way for a “plunder of the French employment” when the company sees it as a lever “winback” faced with low-cost airlines (Ryanair, easyJet).
M. Juniac urges drivers to take part in “a beautiful project,” carrying a thousand jobs in France, including 250 pilots.
While a voluntary redundancy scheme was opened in August for 200 of the 3,760 pilots of Air France, the group intends to increase the Transavia fleet in France from 14 to 37 aircraft in five years and open new bases in Europe in 2015, with pilot local contract.
He rejected the main claim of the unions of a single contract for the pilots to the current conditions of Air France for aircraft with more than 100/110 seats, regardless of the group company (Air France Transavia, Hop!).
An Air France pilot earns between 75,000 and 250,000 euros gross annual by grade (captain or first officer), seniority and assignment (medium-haul or long-haul). At Transavia, wages vary between 87,000 and 180,000 euros.
At Air France, the strike has been accused of “corporatist” by the CFE-CGC and CFDT, Laurent Berger, general secretary of confederation, judging even “indecent”
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