Paris' airports will come under huge strain during the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. /Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
Unions representing workers at Paris' airports are planning to strike on July 17, nine days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, over a dispute about pay and work conditions.
The CGT, CFDT, FO and UNSA unions are demanding that staff receive an Olympics bonus at Aéroports de Paris (ADP), the state-owned firm which operates both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.
Along with extra compensation for all airport staff, unions are asking for additional resources during the busy Olympics period, denouncing "unilateral decisions from the chief executive to pay a bonus to only some personnel".
Disruption threat
Paris' two main airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, are the main gateways into France for foreign visitors during the Olympics. Up to 350,000 people per day are expected to transit there, as well as athletes and their baggage.
Thousands of athletes are expected to begin arriving from July 18, when the athletes' village opens. A new temporary oversized baggage terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport is set to handle heavy equipment like kayaks, bikes or pole vaulting poles.
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Charles de Gaulle airport outside the French capital is at the center of the strike row. /Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
Police, air traffic controllers, rubbish collectors, central government employees, metro and train drivers as well as firefighters, have also made pay demands ahead of the Olympics, with bosses under pressure to yield to avoid disruption.
Workers at the national mint, which is making the medals for the Games, have also been on strike but management says production has not been affected.
Demand details
As well as company-wide bonuses, the ADP unions are calling for a "massive" recruitment plan for 1,000 extra staff and a guarantee they can take holidays during the Olympics (July 26 - August 11).
"All the trade unions have unilaterally denounced the divisive methods and choices of management," a joint statement from them said.
The Paris 2024 Olympics President Tony Estanguet has called for a "truce" during the competition itself. "I want us to welcome the world in the best possible conditions and that we don't spoil the party," he said on French television.
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