Airbus strike threatens disruptions

A strike over pay by French employees of European commercial aircraft builder Airbus dragged into its fourth day Thursday, raising the spectre of serious disruptions to the company's production and deliveries, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Labour unions have vowed to keep protesting and slowing down output if management doesn't bow to their demands for a 3.5 percent pay increase this year. Airbus management, however, is refusing to sweeten its offer of a 1.9 percent salary increase.

The pay dispute exacerbates longer-running concerns by French workers that they may lose jobs as Airbus prepares to shuffle duties between French and German factories.

Françoise Vallin, a union representative, said the strike has slowed production of the single-aisle A320 as the flow of some key parts has slowed.

Strikers are slowing the movement of parts that are flown to Toulouse from other production sites in Europe.

Airbus spokesman Tore Prang said that work on bolting together large A320 assemblies – wings, fuselages and plane tails – has slowed, but said work completing planes that were already in production hasn't been affected. Although there are no formal negotiations on the pay demands at present, Prang said, Airbus management is keeping open "links" with the unions. "We are all working to find reasonable solutions to get out of this crisis," he said.
 
Source: Cargo News Asia