Air France execs flee protest in terror
Confrontation turns ugly after union told 2,900 jobs might have to be cut
Air France executives were forced to flee with their clothes in tatters after workers stormed a meeting at Charles de Gaulle airport in protest over 2,900 planned job cuts.
Human resources chief Xavier Broseta and Pierre Plissonnier, head of long-haul flights, had to clamber over a tall fence to escape, shielded by security guards. Broseta emerged shirtless and Plissonnier’s suit was torn to shreds.
The confrontation erupted Monday as Air France told its works council that 300 pilots, 900 flight attendants and 1,700 ground staff might have to go after failed productivity talks with flight crew.
The protest, in which agitators chanted “naked, naked,” is just the latest to turn physical in France, where managers at Michelin & Cie. and Sony Corp. have been held hostage over firings, irate farmers have blocked city streets with tractors and manure and more than 100 Uber Technologies Inc. taxis were smashed up by rival drivers.
“These attacks were made by isolated and particularly violent individuals as the demonstration by personnel on strike was going on calmly,” Air France said in an emailed statement, adding a complaint has been filed for aggravated violence.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he was “scandalized” by the violence, adding that “nothing justifies such outbursts.”
Broseta told Europe 1 radio he was “personally shocked and disappointed,” though didn’t blame the workforce as a whole and he believes a return to labour talks was “possible.”
Air France unit head Frederic Gagey told RTL radio that seven people were hurt, including a guard who suffered a head injury.
The airline postponed the meeting, saying it won’t be deflected from job cuts, which could include the first forced dismissals since the 1990s.
Under the savings plan announced Monday, Air France’s fleet would be reduced by 14 jets to 93, with orders for Boeing 787s scrapped and aging Airbus A340s phased out. The Air France-KLM Group unit indicated there was scope for compromise should unions come forward with serious savings measure.