With only hours left until the OS opening ceremony in Paris, a strike warning for both airport workers and dancers hangs like a dark cloud over the city.
Those who have planned a weekend in the French capital coinciding with the OS opening ceremony may have difficulty getting around. The French trade union Workers' Strength (FO) issued a warning on Monday about a 24-hour strike at Paris airports Charles de Gaulle and Orly.
This despite the fact that the parties had agreed as recently as July 16 on an agreement that gives workers a bonus of approximately 3,500 kronor per person if they work during the Olympic Games. FO is now claiming that the amount is not sufficient and wants it raised to almost 11,700 kronor per person, reports news agency AFP.
Stillness in the air
If the strike breaks out, there is a risk of cancelled and delayed flights between early Friday and Saturday morning. In addition, all air traffic over the French capital will be cancelled on Friday evening as a previously decided security measure introduced by the authorities.
There is also an ongoing conflict between flight personnel and management at Air France. Pilots and flight attendants are opposing the company's plans to essentially shut down operations at the smaller of Paris' airports, Orly.
Expensive subway
But it's not just in the aviation industry that there are strike warnings. The opening ceremony is also affected to some extent after the trade union CGT issued a strike warning for dancers. In this case, it's about CGT believing that the company responsible for the OS and Paralympics opening ceremonies does not respect collective agreements for the cultural sector.
In addition to the strike warnings, those who find themselves in Paris during the sports festival will be forced to pay more than usual for transportation in and out of the city. Paris' public transportation company RATP has indeed sharply increased the price of its tickets during the OS. A subway ticket, which normally costs approximately 25 kronor, now costs over 45 kronor.
