That didn't take long! French airport workers call for a strike the week before Paris Olympics within hours of hard-left socialists' election victory
French airport workers have called for a strike to be held the week before the Paris Olympics are set to kick off at the end of July.
The CGT, CFDT, FO and UNSA unions called the strike on July 17 - just nine days before the start of the Paris Games on July 26.
They are demanding all staff receive an Olympics bonus and denounced 'unilateral decisions from the chief executive to pay a bonus to only some personnel.'
The unions said they are 'interrupting their participation in all forms of meetings with management' and calling for 'a strike on July 17 to obtain satisfaction.'
The call came just hours after the New Popular Front leftist coalition placed first in the second round of legislative elections, to the surprise of many.
Results showed just over 180 seats for the coalition, ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance, with more than 160 seats, and Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and its allies - who were restricted to third place.
The NFP is composed of several left wing parties, including France Unbowed (LFI) - led by the hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the Socialist party (PS), The French Green party (LE-EELV) and the French Communist party (PCF).
French airport workers have called for a strike to be held the week before the Paris Olympics are set to kick off at the end of the month. The Olympic rings are seen on Charles de Gaulle Airport during an unveiling ceremony in April 2023
The New Popular Front's leaders immediately pushed Macron to give them the first chance to form a government and propose a prime minister.
The faction pledges to roll back many of Macron's headline reforms, embark on a costly program of public spending, and take a tougher line against Israel because of its war with Hamas.
But it's not clear, even among the left, who could lead the government without alienating crucial allies.
But while questions swirl over the future of French politics, the country's unions didn't waste any time in capitalising on the left-wing victory.
Unions at state-controlled Groupe ADP, which runs Paris' main airports Charles de Gaulle and Orly, had previously called for a strike on May 19, which did not cause major disruption.
The two airports will be the main gateway into France for foreign visitors to the Olympics, with up to 350,000 people a day expected to transit there during the Games, as well as most athletes and their equipment.
Thousands of athletes are expected to begin arriving from July 18, when the athletes' village opens, with a new temporary over-sized baggage terminal at Charles de Gaulle set to handle equipment such as kayaks, bikes or polevaulting poles.
Unions representing workers across the public sector in France have demanded extra pay or support for having to work over the July 26-August 11 Paris Games, which fall during the traditional summer holiday in France.
Police, air traffic controllers, rubbish collectors, central government employees, metro and train drivers as well as firefighters have all made demands, with their employers under pressure to yield to avoid disruption.
Workers at the national mint, which is producing the medals, have also been on strike, but management says that production has not been affected.
