Paris airport workers threaten strike for Olympics opening ceremony

Despite agreement reached last week, union demanding higher bonuses for employees, according to reports

Paris airport workers threaten strike for Olympics opening ceremony

A union representing airport workers in Paris has filed a strike motion scheduled for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics.

The Force Ouvrière (FO) filed the strike motion that is set for 5:00 on July 26 to 7:00 on July 27, The Connexion reported.

According to the report, the strike motion comes despite an agreement between union representatives and the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group last week, which resulted in bonuses for airport employees.

But the FO is seeking the €300 bonus to be hiked to €1,000, as well as other selective bonuses to increase both in terms of payout and the number of staff eligible.

According to the union, the current agreement only applies "partial and modest progress" and does not satisfy employees' demands, The Connexion reported.

The FO represents 11.5% of employees at the Orly and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airports, which are under the ADP group.

Little disruption expected

But the ADP has assured that even a major strike action will not impact flights entering the city. The temporary "no fly zone" covering a 150-kilometre radius around Paris between 6:30 PM until midnight on July 26 will result in no flights landing at Orly, Charles de Gaulle, or Beauvais airports.

This means even fewer passengers will be affected by the strike, and the potential impact may only be longer transit times, according to the report.

The FO is not the only union threatening a strike on the date of the opening ceremony.

The SFA-CGT union, the largest in the entertainment sector, representing dancers to participate in the Paris Olympic Games has filed a strike motion for July 26.

The union attributed the strike to the "blatant inequalities of treatment" between performers hired for the unique ceremony on the Seine river, The Connexion reported.