After failed talks with pilot unions, the conflict between Air France and its staff rose to unprecedented heights as the airline announced a restructuring plan involving 2,900 redundancies (1,700 ground staff, 900 cabin crew, and 300 pilots). Amidst a large protest, a group of some 100 protesters stormed the executive meeting where the restructuring plan was being finalised and attacked the Air France managers, tearing the shirts off their backs. The executives were evacuated from the premises among both politicians and trade union condemnation of the violence against them. Management has said it is still willing to negotiate with the unions, but under specific conditions. The trade unions unconditionally deplored the social violence – and denounced the isolated incident in an otherwise peaceful demonstration. The international trade union confederation ITF expressed its opposition to any attempt to criminalise the actions of trade unions; ITF is demanding the reinstatement of the dismissed workers.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/news/2015/october/itf-affiliates...
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/05/air-france-workers-storm-meeting...
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.