2024-09-12 12:42:35
The team’s response was swift. The Union of Civil Aviation Airmen (Unac) announced an indefinite strike on Wednesday at the British airline EasyJet, after the announcement of the closure of its base in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) on Tuesday, reports a representative from the union to Le Parisien , confirming information fromToulouse news.
The notice does not only concern Toulouse, it is “national”, informed Gaël Leloup, representative of the group of Unac, and it started on September 16. For this time, it is “a way of putting pressure on the company”, he explained, while negotiations will begin on Monday. This also allows “to be ready if necessary” to launch a strike, he added.
Unac did not call all cabin crew to strike from September 16, “we will choose certain days, the most important”, depending on the progress of the discussions with the company, Gaël Leloup explained. EasyJet employs 125 people locally and wants to launch a “limited” voluntary redundancy scheme which will affect 30 employees in France.
Closing “because it can no longer be done, or out of economic benefit”?
The airline explained in a statement on Tuesday that “the closure of the Toulouse base is due to a combination of factors, including the post-Covid recovery and additional pressure” which affects “EasyJet’s ability to invest more in France.”
For the moment, it is a question of understanding “if the closure of this base is justified,” said Gaël Leloup. Does it close “because it’s not really useful, or because of economic necessity?” “. In this case, other foundations may be at risk in the future, emphasized the representative of the group, “What if in two years it is the one in Bordeaux that is killed? »
Contacted, the EasyJet section of the national association of commercial cabin crew (SNPNC-FO) declared itself “in full support of the colleagues at the base of Toulouse” and Unac. But “for the moment we will not give notice of a strike,” a representative told Le Parisien. This group is waiting to see what the negotiations will produce, and expert results to verify the arguments put forward by EasyJet.
“We do not rule out the filing of a strike notification at another time,” he clarified, however. He stressed that transferring workers back to the Toulouse base elsewhere in France could be complicated, “they have a family life there”. The announcement of the closure “is a surprise” for them, Gaël Leloup added, “some have been there for 12 years, they have built houses on the site, have given birth to children…”
The company said for its part to have the “giving of the notice of strike posted by Unac”, even before the “initial discussions of the consultation process”. “Until today, there is no impact on our flights in Toulouse and France,” he explained.
“Terrible News”
According to the company’s press release, EasyJet “wants to continue to develop in France and in particular anticipates capacity growth of more than 5% this winter”. This restructuring “is an important part of the company’s long-term strategy to maintain its activities on the French market” and will allow it “to take advantage of growth and maintain its position as the second largest airline especially in France”.
Mayor (DVD) of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, an employee on X The decision is “terrible news” for the 125 local workers, considering that “hit to work (…) will cause other returns for the routes operated by EasyJet”. Regional President Occitanie Carole Delga (PS)for his part called “management to establish a better communication by giving everyone a solution to go back in the best conditions. »
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