The SNCTA, the majority in the sector, announced this Wednesday morning that it had reached an agreement last night and lifted its strike notice. “Some disruptions” should still take place on Thursday April 25, assures the Minister of Transport.
Turbulence despite the lifting of the notice. After raising fears of an unprecedented strike action on its scale this Thursday, April 25, the National Union of Air Traffic Controllers (SNCTA), the majority in the sector, finally announced this Wednesday morning the lifting of its strike notice. The union explains in a short message on its website that it reached an agreement during a nighttime conciliation held “from 6 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.” during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), and now calls on controllers to “cancel (their) prior declaration” of strike.
Contacted, the administration did not immediately confirm this information, while two other unions, Unsa Icna and Usac-CGT, had also called for a strike. The SNCTA, which gathered 60% of the votes of air traffic controllers in the last professional elections, has not communicated details on the crisis exit protocol. He was protesting against the accompanying measures, particularly salary, for an overhaul of French air traffic control.
This Wednesday noon, the Minister of Transport, Patrice Vergriete, confirmed that an agreement “win-win” had been concluded with the majority union, “which aims to make air traffic control in France more productive, more efficient in terms of safety and limitation of delays”. “The user will find more security, fewer delays,” he added, without being immediately able to give details on the concessions obtained by the controllers, while the SNCTA notably requested a 25% increase in remuneration spread over five years. “There were statutory measures that were given, but not all of what the unions wanted,” indicated the minister, emphasizing that it would be a sham operation for the taxpayer, the DGAC budget being supplemented by the fees paid by the airlines.
However, despite the lifting of the notice, Thursday should be marked by “some disturbances”, assures Patrice Vergriete. On the airline side, we are still talking about 75% of flights canceled at Orly and 55% at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. These reductions in flight programs requested by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) will reach 65% in Marseille-Provence and 45% in other airports in mainland France. From a Source close to the matter, they reflect the difficulty of reorganizing a crisis system in the very short term.
On Tuesday, the SNCTA assured Libé that the number of strikers among the controllers was around “the 100%”. No information had filtered through late Wednesday morning on the operational consequences of lifting the SNCTA’s notice. As for the two other unions, the Minister of Transport specified “beginning[r] the discussions” with them, but is “very optimistic about being able to close the deal.”
Update at 12:50 p.m.: the minister confirms an agreement but cancellations remain numerous.
