French air traffic controllers win the right to start work three hours late
AIR traffic controllers in France have won the right to turn up to work late... after plans to force them to arrive on time were scrapped.
Emmanuel Macron’s government is reported to have backed down after unions threatened to call strikes ahead of the Paris Olympics, causing chaos for passengers.
The controllers, who now have the legal right to turn up three hours late for shifts, are said to earn up to £93,000 a year and often only work 75% of the 32 hours a week, for which they are contracted.
Delays
There are claims some actually go on holiday or head off skiing when they are scheduled to be working.
One admitted he often checked in with colleagues on how busy air traffic was before he set off for a 9am shift and if it was quiet, he went back to bed for another couple of hours.
Another said managers didn’t mind so long as people were “contactable” in case of a problem but added “sometimes we’ve found ourselves calling guys who were abroad”.
Officials say the French culture contributes to delays.
They were looking to change the laissez-faire attitude but climbed down over threats of a walk-out that would hit thousands heading to the
Olympics in July and August. Staff insist, however, there are always enough people on duty.
They are now expected to get a pay rise of up to £15,500, 18 extra days off a year and retirement at 59 in a deal being seen as a victory for the National Union of Air Traffic Controllers. It will cost airlines more than £60million over the next four years.Around a quarter of all flights in France were delayed last year – 24.31%, – but still slightly fewer than in the UK, where the proportion of late flights is 25.39%.
Air traffic controllers are not the only workers threatening to strike ahead of the Olympics.
French unions, including those representing hospital staff, have said they will walk out if the government does not properly compensate people for being forced to work during the summer holidays.