Paris airport staff call June strike

Six unions representing ground staff at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport called for a one-day strike on June 18. The dispute centers on security passes issued by Paris police for staff working in restricted areas, including baggage handlers and maintenance personnel. Unions say background checks have been tightened to an unreasonable degree, with refusals based on minor grounds unrelated to safety or security. They claim the process can remove the right to work for dismissed court cases, fines, or people awaiting trial, violating the presumption of innocence. The strike covers ground staff but excludes pilots, cabin crew, and air traffic controllers. Potential impacts include check-in delays, closures of airport shops and cafes, and reduced baggage-handling services.

"The six unions representing ground staff, including baggage handlers, at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport have issued a call for a one-day strike on June 18th. The dispute is over the issuing of security passes for airport staff who work in restricted areas such as baggage handlers or maintenance staff. The passes are issued by Paris police following a background check, but unions say the checks have recently been tightened up to an unreasonable degree, and that people are now being refused on "minor grounds that have nothing to do with safety or security"."

"The joint union statement says that from now on, for a simple fine, a court case that has been dismissed, or even for someone awaiting trial, you can lose your right to work. This is an absurdity that fails to respect the law on the presumption of innocence. The strike call covers all ground staff at the airport but does not include pilots, cabin crew or air traffic controllers."

"It is not yet clear what the impact on travel will be, but it could include delays at check-in, shops or cafes in the airport closing and a lack a baggage-handling services. Paris Charles de Gaulle is Europe's second busiest airport, welcoming 67 million passengers a year."

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