airports
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in transport and distribution around the world.
General strike hits France
As the recession begins to bite in France, transport, education and other services are brought to a halt by a national strike demanding action on unemployment and the rising cost of living.
Bloomberg business news reported that France’s rail network, airports and public schools were disrupted today as the country’s eight biggest labor unions called for a one-day general strike.
International developments in airport workers' struggles
As recession and job losses seem imminent, airport staff across the world have been organising to oppose their negative effects.
Air France unions have called for employees to join mass strikes due to take place on January 29. A statement released last night by seven unions including the two biggest ones, the CFDT and CGT, called for employees to demand greater protection for jobs and pay in the face of the current economic crisis.
Alitalia wildcat grounds 114 flights
A wildcat strike by Alitalia workers Thursday forced the Italian flagship airline to cancel 114 flights.
Part of the airline's ground personnel held a general assembly at Rome's Fiumicino airport for several hours early Thursday. The action by workers fearful of losing their jobs when Alitalia is relaunched as a private airline next week caused the cancellation of 63 departing flights and 51 Rome-bound flights.
Strikes hit Hungarian transport industry
A strike over pay by Hungarian rail workers severely disrupted traffic on most services on Monday and flights from Budapest Airport were delayed by a six-day-old strike for better working conditions.
Railway workers' union VDSZSZ extended a strike it launched in eastern Hungary to all lines after 1700 GMT on Sunday to demand higher wages and a one-off bonus from the sale of state railway firm MAV's freight unit.
General strike in Italy against government handling of the crisis
Hundreds of thousands of workers downed tools and took to the streets in a four hour stoppage stating "we won't pay for the crisis".
The strike by the General Confederation of Italian workers (CGIL) shut down postal services nationwide, transport services and airports in several cities and many automobile manufacturers, in some of which strikers were joined by members of other unions.
Greek general strike to go ahead
The planned general strike for later today, 10 December is still scheduled to go ahead, but unions bowed to the government and called off protest marches amidst Greece's worst rioting in decades.
2.5 million workers in the GSEE and ADEDY general unions, comprising around half of Greece's total workforce are to strike today.
They are demanding an end to cuts in public spending and attacks on pay and pensions.
Greece's transport network in particular is set to grind to a halt, as many airlines have already cancelled all flights in and out of the country.
Troubled airline Alitalia sold
Italian national airline Alitalia, after a long period of agony, will survive at the expense of its workers and taxpayers.
When Alitalia started going bankrupt because of its irreparable debts, the Italian government instead of selling it to the first aspirant buyer – that is Air France - decided to reject its extremely convenient offer thinking that they could have saved the national airline by some ingenious stratagem.
Wildcat strikes hit three German Airbus plants
Staff at three Airbus plants in Germany staged wildcat strikes Thursday over plans by the European jet maker to spin off the factories into a new subsidiary.
The work stoppages hit the Varel and Nordenham facilities in northern Germany, coming on the same day as industrial action at a plant in the southern city of Augsburg belonging to the parent company EADS. Airbus sought a court injunction against the strikes in Varel and Nordenham.
Wildcat strike in Tel Aviv airport
Hundreds of Israel Airports Authority employees protested yesterday afternoon opposite the organization's headquarters after declaring a general strike at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
The strike quickly ended as the Histadrut labor federation intervened and called to renew negotiations between workers and management officials.
Air France workers begin four-day strike
Severe disruptions to Air France flights are expected after pilots begin a four-day strike against legal changes to the retirement age.
Two-fifths of the airline's long haul flights and half of all other services were cancelled as a result. Disruption to flights operated by partner airlines, including Brit Air and CityJet, will not be as great though the strike is thought will cost the airline 100m euros ($127m; £86.1m).
