French unions warn new Air France CEO of strikes if they see no dialogue on pay
Benjamin Smith's salary tripled while cabin and ground crew wages have been frozen for seven years
FRENCH airline unions warned of a “strong risk of strikes” today if new Air France boss Benjamin Smith does not “engage” with workers over pay and conditions.
CGT Air France joint secretary-general Vincent Salles has warned that many crew see the appointment of Mr Smith, a former executive at Air Canada who becomes the first non-French head of the partly state-owned airline, as part of a plan to “deteriorate wages and conditions.”
Asked whether an “American” CEO would act as a Trojan horse for US airline Delta, which owns an 8.8 per cent stake in Air France, Mr Salles said time would tell, but his main concern was that Mr Smith “has cut costs at Air Canada and set up retrograde agreements.”
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