‘Unlimited’ easyJet strike notice announced over plan to close French base
Union says ‘large-scale joint action’ will be confirmed in coming days
The strike currently has no official end date
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A union representing French airline workers, including those for easyJet, has called for an ‘unlimited’ national strike over the low-cost carrier’s plans to close its base at Toulouse-Blagnac airport.
Read more: EasyJet announces surprise closure of its base at Toulouse airport
The strike motion was filed by the Union des navigants de l’aviation civile (UNAC) yesterday, and will begin from Monday, September 16.
It is unlimited, meaning it has no official end date. Strike notices do not mean there will be a strike but show that the legal requirements for workers to be able to strike during this period have been met.
The union called the strike over the “brutal closure” of easyJet’s Toulouse base “despite its record performances over the previous years.”
“We don't understand how easyJet, in a city like Toulouse, which is experiencing rapid economic and demographic growth and is the capital of aviation, has not managed to generate profits,” it said.
“The problem may lie with the destinations offered, the flight schedule... There may be other solutions to this closure,” it adds.
UNAC is calling on all easyJet workers based in France to participate in the strike, meaning there may be disruption to domestic and international flights run by the company in the coming weeks.
The union also said that information on a “large-scale joint action” in the aviation sector would be announced in the coming days.
If you are planning on taking an easyJet flight to or from France in the coming weeks, it is advised to regularly check the status of your journey.
Read more: French workers called to join mass strike on October 1
‘Family-oriented base’ suffers
EasyJet announced that the 125 workers it employs at the airport would be offered the opportunity to relocate to another of the airline’s six remaining French bases.
The other bases are Paris Orly, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux and Nantes
UNAC said this is not enough as the Toulouse base “is very family-oriented… where employees are mainly couples, have children, or have bought property in Toulouse.”
“Unlike other bases, mobility is very complicated there,” it added.
EasyJet also hinted that other changes to its structure in France are on the way, and that some employees are likely to be asked to accept voluntary redundancy.
Local politicians, including the mayor of Toulouse and president of the region, have also criticised the decision.
EasyJet’s closure of the Toulouse base is “a decision which is a blow to employment… ‘will have other repercussions for the routes operated,” said mayor of the city Jean-Luc Moudenc.
In addition, president of the Occitanie region Carole Delga said “no employee… will be left out in the cold,” due to the decision.
Read more: Strikes in France in September 2024 and how you may be impacted
Ryanair are pulling out of Bordeaux-Mérignac airport from October, after a row over basing fees.
Read more: Bordeaux airport: ‘Ryanair pulling out was our worst-case scenario’
