Majorca is set to face chaos as French air traffic controllers plan to take industrial action again in September. In July, employees went on strike resulting in the cancellation of 40% of flights over two days. Now, air traffic controllers will be repeating the walkout, with French unions set to stage protests on September 18.
According to a union leader, the strikes are in response to the French government’s fiscal plans, and come as the country prepares for a confidence vote called by the prime minister, one he is expected to lose.
Opposition parties have said that they will bring down the minority government in the September 8 confidence vote, which Prime Minister Francois Bayrou unexpectedly announced on Monday as a result of his unpopular plans for a budget squeeze next year.
However, unions are not happy with the proposals, with Marylise Leon, the leader of the CFDT, France’s largest union revealed that unions want to ensure that the fiscal plans are not adopted.
Ms Leon said: “Our organisations are calling for a day of action on September 18, including through strikes and protest rallies.
“The house of horrors that is the daft budget must be scrapped.”
Protest and strikes have also been planned for September 10 by various groups on social media. The call has been compared to the ‘Yellow Vest’ protests that erupted in 2018 over fuel price increases and the high cost of living.
The strikes remain a bigger issue as flights from the UK, which pass through French airspace to Majorca, and Spain in general, are likely to be disrupted by it.
Various airlines, especially Ryanair, spent the summer calling on the European Union to take action and prevent industrial action from taking place and impacting flight operations.
The popular airline issued an open letter to the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, calling on her to quit if she doesn’t take action to protect the single market for flights over Europe during the July French air traffic controllers’ strikes, which caused chaos at Palma Airport and others across Spain.
Tourism across Spain is already falling due to anti-tourism campaigns, and with Ryanair planning to cut seats for the winter, more damage is likely to occur.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
