The French Once Again Held Hostage by Air Traffic Controllers

With each major summer exodus, the story repeats itself with distressing regularity. As the French prepare to go on vacation, a minority of employees decides to paralyze the country.

Once again, air traffic controllers are stepping in to engage in a labor standoff at the expense of the French public. On this Thursday, July 3rd, likely Friday and probably the weekend as well, up to 50% of flights will be canceled at several airports in the south of France, and 25% in Paris. Thousands of families heading for a few well-deserved days of rest will be grounded.

Officially, the unions denounce a “toxic management,” “chronic understaffing,” and the introduction of time clocks that are supposed to ensure everyone is at their posts. Are these serious grievances? Perhaps. But why choose one of the busiest days of the year? Why should the users bear the costs of an internal conflict at the DGAC, especially when a social protocol has already been signed with most unions? Asking these questions is already answering them.

Depending on who you are…

Because let’s not be mistaken, UNSA-ICNA and USAC-CGT, which initiated the movement, represent barely a third of the profession. The majority union, the SNCTA (60% of the votes), refuses to associate with them. It has accepted the new rules, including the time clocks, demanded after a near-fatal incident in Bordeaux in 2022 highlighted questionable self-management practices. Notably, the fact that some controllers could spontaneously disengage from the roster.

Behind the rhetoric about service quality, a disproportionate power of disruption is at work. Due to their central role in European airspace, French controllers literally hold passengers, airlines, and even their foreign counterparts hostage. And some union members do not hesitate to take advantage of this. It is always troubling to see a relatively affluent category of workers (nearly 8,000 euros gross monthly on average) resort to such consumer blackmail.

This is not about questioning the right to strike, but about sincerely pondering how it is being used. This is not about denying the demands, but about reminding a basic truth. One does not toy with others’ vacations or their safety. This is not about restricting freedoms, but as Georges Pompidou once said: “Stop bothering the French.”

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