Paris airport workers to begin strike
Another airport employee walkout and strike is expected in Paris today.
Ground staff at Charles de Gaulle Airport—France’s largest—announced on Saturday that they would stage another walkout unless management met their pay demands. Their union insists on higher wages in response to rising inflation and a post-pandemic increase in air travel demand.
In addition to short-term disruptions in service, expect the Charles de Gaulle strike to inspire labor unrest in other industries across France. On Wednesday, railway workers in three out of four of the country’s main railway unions also announced a strike. Labor activists have planned walkouts to coincide with the start of France’s summer tourism and holiday season.
With preliminary data indicating that inflation in France hit a record high of 6.5% in June, French President Emmanuel Macron and his government face increased pressure to reduce the cost of living and ensure wages rise with prices. Should Macron, and the EU at large, fail to meet this need in the medium-term, Eurosceptic and populist movements—like recent challenger Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party—could wrest control of the country from its existing leadership. Such a result could see French labor’s realignment with these opposition movements.
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