Air France Gets Time To Negotiate As Strike Costs Mount

Air France looks like having a little bit of clear air, with unions deciding not to name further strike days at present, in a dispute the airline said has now cost it EUR€400 million (USD$474.5 million).

Unions want a resumption of talks and have asked the company to return to the negotiating table to find a way forward in a dispute where the two sides appear as far apart as ever.

Multiple unions at the French airline have staged a series of one day strikes over the last few weeks as part of their campaign for higher wages. Unions want a 5.1 percent increase for 2018, but the airline offered 2 percent as part of an overall 7 percent four-year pay deal.

Air France-KLM group chief executive Jean-Marc Jean-Marc Janaillac called for consultation on the airline’s offer, culminating in an electronic vote by all staff. The ballot last Friday ended in defeat, with just over 55 percent of electronic votes against the company offer.

The airline rescinded the offer and Jean-Marc Janaillac resigned after saying earlier that it would be very difficult for him to stay on if the pay offer was rejected.