Paris airport workers plan to strike before the Olympics – here’s why

Workers at Paris airports are threatening to go on strike ahead of the start of the Olympics.

Unions which represent workers for the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) – including the airports of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly – are calling for strike action on Wednesday 17 July.

The reason for the strike? A dispute over bonuses for staff.

If the walkout by members of the CGT, CFDT, FO and UNSA unions does go ahead, it might cause disruption just nine days before the first day of the Games.

Why are Paris airport workers potentially going on strike?

Unions are not happy that ADP workers are not receiving a so-called Olympic bonus.

In a statement, they denounced “unilateral decisions from the chief executive to pay a bonus to only some personnel”.

Both Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports will be the main gateways for tourists to enter France for the Olympics, with the Opening Ceremony planned for 26 July.

Le Monde newspaper estimates that up to 350,000 people will transit through the airports during the Olympics.

It’s not just sports fans either – thousands of athletes will begin arriving in the Olympic Village from 18 July ahead of the opening ceremony.

Airport staff are not the only ones making demands ahead of the Games

Unions representing workers across the French public sector have called for increased pay for having to work through the event, which lasts until 11 August.

Police, air traffic controllers, rubbish collectors, central government employees and train drivers have also asked for increases.

The airport strike announcement, though, comes a day after the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) unexpectedly secured the highest number of seats in a snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron.

In their election promises, the NFP called for a hike to the minimum wage – as well as meaningful salary increases for public sector workers.

The scale of the ADP’s call for strike is not yet clear.

These types of walkouts don’t tend to cause flight cancellations – but can cause chaos at airport security and baggage carousels, depending on how many staff actually do go on strike.