France’s rail strike may show signs of drawing to a close but travel disruption could take off elsewhere as French air traffic controllers have voted to strike from 24-29 June, reports RFI.
Two of the biggest unions representing air traffic controllers at French airports called the strike on Thursday, promising major disruption and accusing the government of breaking its word on their sector’s budget.
There will be big support for the stoppage, the SNCTA and Unsa-ICNA unions said, predicting “a large number of cancellations and major disruption”.
The strikers are protesting at planned cuts between 2015 and 2019 that they say will endanger "necessary performance and modernisation needed to ensure an efficient air navigation service in France".
The cuts arise from the European Union’s Single Sky Europe plan to reduce air navigation costs by organising airspace into functional blocks, according to traffic flows rather than national borders.
The European Commission wants to reduce payments by airlines and the French government had agreed to reduce one category while raising another.
The unions believe that the plan is part of an “ultra-liberal” policy that favours “forced low-cost” air traffic.
Read more of this report from RFI.