Marseille, France: Fire fighters launch strike

Marseille, France: Fire fighters launch strike

The forest fire season season has got off to a somewhat shaky start. On the morning of 1st July, around 60 employees out of 88 from the fire fighting base in Marignane near Marseille airport launched an unlimited strike – a first since 1998. Protesters sported banners emblazoned with “Airfighters on strike” and “less planes, less protection” and have denounced the “lack of” allocated resources. The protest has come as no surprise after associations SNPNAC (Syndicat National du Personnel Navigant de l’Aeronautique Civile) and SPAC (Syndicat des Pilotes de l’Aviation Civile) issued a series of warnings last month, threatening to go on strike if new enforced spending cuts were not renegotiated. A reduction in the number of fire fighting planes for the summer season sparked major concern amongst pilots as they were not sure if they could operate effectively if an emergency arose. Read Article