French Unions Protest Airbus Push for Four-Day On-Site Work Policy
Union Responses and Implications of Airbus' New Hybrid Work Policy
By Gianluca Lo Nostro
June 25 (Reuters) - French unions have called one-day stoppages and protests at Airbus as the European planemaker moves to raise the number of on-site working days for white-collar staff to at least four a week from at least three.
Union Actions and Protests
The CGT union called on employees to gather at Airbus' Blagnac site near Toulouse on Thursday and "voice their anger under CEO Guillaume Faury's windows".
Recent Rallies and Strikes
It said more than 100 staff joined a rally on June 18, with others striking without attending. Turnout for Thursday was not immediately available, and there were no reports of any impact on production.
Legal and Organizational Responses
Separately, the CFDT union called for a rally outside the same building on June 30 and said it was studying possible legal action, arguing Airbus was applying its 2024 remote-working agreement in bad faith.
FO, Airbus France's largest union, called for any changes to be paused pending a July 7 Airbus European works council meeting and said management had reassured that the hybrid working agreement remained valid through 2028.
Background and Management Perspective
Origins of the Dispute
The dispute stems from a June 9 letter to staff from Faury, seen by Reuters and first reported by Bloomberg, in which he said Airbus needed to improve focus, quality and "individual presence on-site" after a slow start to the year in commercial aircraft deliveries.
Production and Economic Pressures
Airbus is under pressure to meet its annual delivery target of 870 jets while grappling with supply-chain strains, notably engine shortages.
Airbus told Reuters it faced an unprecedented production ramp-up while navigating a volatile geopolitical and economic environment.
Details of the New Policy
A spokesperson confirmed the new group-wide hybrid work policy and said flexibility remained part of Airbus' culture, but its priority was to ensure the closest possible collaboration between employees.
The policy applies to white-collar roles such as engineers. Not all assembly workers and technicians have been eligible for hybrid working.
Context: Labor Relations at Airbus
Strikes are relatively uncommon at Airbus, which has its main operations in France, Germany, Spain and Britain.
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro. Additional reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Mark Potter)
