Aéroports de Paris unions call for strike action on July 17, ahead of the Olympic Games

Four unions at Paris airports operator Groupe ADP announced a strike on Monday, July 17. The initiative, which comes ten days before the opening of the Olympic Games, is aimed at demanding a bonus for all staff during this busy period.

The CGT, CFDT, FO and UNSA unions are denouncing a deterioration in working conditions, and are demanding a bonus for all staff, a massive hiring plan for 1,000 positions, and a guarantee that they will be able to take days off during the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP).

However, ADP Group CEO Augustin de Romanet has unilaterally decided to pay a bonus only to some of the staff. The unions criticized this approach, calling management’s refusal to meet their demands “dogmatic”. They stressed that the company had the necessary resources, citing in particular the comfortable dividends paid to shareholders.

During the summer months, Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports handle some 350,000 passengers a day. The ADP Group, while anticipating a stable passenger volume for the Games, has taken measures to guarantee the athletes’ reception, with specific routes and temporary infrastructures.

For months, the unions have been calling for resources to cope with the increase in air traffic and the organization of the Olympic Games. At a general meeting last Friday, almost 300 employees supported the unions’ unanimous decision to suspend their participation in all forms of meetings with management. The general assemblies also gave a mandate to launch a strike on July 17 in order to obtain satisfaction.

The CGT, CFDT, FO and UNSA unions have declared that this strike call is a response to the stubborn refusal of management, in particular the ADP CEO, who underestimates the ultimatum issued by the united unions and the determination of the workforce.

ADP employees had already been called out on strike on May 19, a move that did not cause any major disruption. Other sectors and public companies, such as RATP and SNCF, have also succeeded in obtaining activity bonuses in the run-up to the Olympic Games in recent months.