Four-day airline strike starts in France - little disruption so far

Feb 6, 2012, 8:17 GMT

Paris - The first morning of a four-day strike in France's airline industry passed off without significant disruptions to air traffic in Paris Monday, France Info radio reported.

Trade unions representing pilots, cabin crew and ground staff last week called a four-day strike from Monday through Thursday to protest a bill that would restrict their right to strike.

Air France said it expected 80-85 per cent of its flights to go ahead regardless, and said it had notified its customers about any cancellations on Monday.

Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris appeared largely unaffected, France Info reported, while warning that the full effect of the strike might only be felt Wednesday or Thursday.

The country's biggest pilots' union SNPL says the bill, which requires each worker to give notice of their strike action 48 hours beforehand, violates their right to strike.

France has similar requirements for railway workers but the unions point out that air travel in France, unlike rail, is not a public service.

The bill was proposed by a member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling party after a strike by airport security workers in December.