WORLD
Air France-KLM chief attacks pilots’ strike plan
Baku, June 6, AZERTAC
Air France pilots will cost the airline “tens of millions of euros” if their plan to ground aircraft at the start of the Euro 2016 football championship this month goes ahead, according to Financial Times.
Air France management will meet unions early this week in an attempt to avert the strike, called for June 11 to 14, just as thousands of football fans are expected to flood into the country for the tournament.
The planned action comes on the back of intense strike action in France in recent weeks as students and workers’ unions protest the government’s attempts to introduce greater flexibility into the country’s labour code.
Pilots are striking over pay and investment after years of restructuring at Air France.
A two-week pilots strike in 2014 over plans to develop the low-cost carrier Transavia cost the airline hundreds of millions of euros — the worst industrial action in its history. Last year when the carrier attempted to implement new cost-cutting measures, angry protesters ripped the shirt off the back of the airline’s human resources director.