Air crew strike notice France filed by the two largest flight attendant unions. They are unhappy with the airline due to the lack of progress in concluding a collective agreement after the pandemic.
One of the main obstacles in the negotiations is the number of flight attendants assigned to work on long-haul flights. Air France management wants the ratio to be: one flight attendant for every 51 passengers. Currently, one flight attendant serves 48 passengers.
The unions have already held their own vote on the issue, and about 72 percent of their members rejected the airline's worsening offer. Since then, Air France has reduced its requirement to one flight attendant for every 50 passengers, but the unions are demanding that the status quo be maintained.
Up to 1,200 jobs could be lost, according to one union, although a rival union has rejected the figure and says the maximum number of jobs at risk from the change is 80, as only a relatively small fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be affected by the change. Therefore, the latter is not going to go on strike, calling into question the effectiveness of the event.
If the strike does take place, flight attendants can leave from midnight on December 22 and not return to work until 23:59 on January 2, 2023. Any strike can be canceled if Air France agrees not to unilaterally make changes to working conditions until a new contract is awarded.
A massive strike by Air France employees in 2018 reportedly cost the airline at least €500 million after a series of flight cancellations over the summer.
The strike ended the career of former chief executive Jean-Marc Janillac, who failed to put an end to a bitter wage dispute.