Marie Marivel has been working as a security agent at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for 18 years. Staffing shortages and a cost-of-living crisis have made it impossible for her to work the job she has always done.
As security agents, ground crews, baggage handlers and other airport workers in Paris begin a series of strikes on Friday to demand better wages and more hiring, Ms. Marivel is eager to join the fight
The end of Covid-19 restrictions in Europe led to a revival in air travel. We are not adequately staffed. We can't make ends meet anymore. The workers are demanding more.
Europe is bracing for a summer of labor unrest as soaring inflation and labor shortages cause protests in sectors as diverse as the steel industry and garbage collection. In the transport sector, work forces at airlines, airports and railways have begun to go on strike in large numbers. Last week's rail strike in Britain was the biggest in 30 years.
There will be several walk outs this weekend and beyond. Security employees at the airport in Germany are going to go on strike on Friday. SAS pilots are threatening to strike on Saturday if unions don't get a raise. The check-in staff of British Airways are going to walk off the job later this month in order to get better conditions at the airport.
Chaos at airports, train stations and major tourist destinations marred the start of Europe's summer travel season as operators struggled to meet a resurgence in demand. Thousands of flights have been canceled and thousands more are being cut through August by airlines as companies scramble to find staff or face job walk offs.
In Germany, the aviation hiring squeeze has become so dire that the government will fast-track thousands of foreign workers in the coming weeks to relieve staff shortages.
Travelers were advised to wear comfortable shoes and wait four hours or longer in security lines at major airports in order to shorten their wait at check-in.
The unions in Spain and Sweden are planning a new wave of protests.
A European Union policy that aims to liberalize competition in the sector has led to the outsourcing of baggage handling and other workers at European airports. One union said over 800 contract companies provided staffing for a wide range of services at the airport, including check-in and bathroom cleaning.
In the past two years, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been cut due to the swine flu. The travel industry has over 100,000 vacancies because of layoffs and worker resignations during Covid lockdowns.
The head of aviation at the European Transport Workers' Federation said that the sector is not attractive due to working conditions. He said that wages are low and many jobs start before dawn or last until midnight.
Income and purchasing power have been affected. People are tired of being patient.
The strike threat is very important for Europe's tourism sector. Tourism destinations need a travel rebound to help revive national economies and the airline industry needs a strong summer to offset high fuel costs.
The labor pressure is paying off. At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, where a shortage of ground personnel led to near-riots by some travelers who couldn't make their flights after hours in security lines, management and unions struck a deal for a pay increase. There was a race to the bottom among airport contractors competing for work through low wages and precarious contracts, according to unions.
New recruits will be attracted by the changes. It is likely that airlines will pass on higher costs to travelers in the form of ticket prices.
"Workers are in a good position, but they have good reasons to bargain and ask for higher wages in this context." She said that the airlines tried to offer low fares. The cost of flying cheap comes from the wages of the people who work there.
The conditions at the Paris airport are no longer sustainable. She said that her monthly rent is 900 and that she gets a monthly take- home pay of 1,500 euros. She can't make ends meet because of rising prices for energy, gasoline and food.
Ms. Marivel is employed by ICTS France, a company contracted by the Paris airport authority to provide workers to inspect luggage and provide for security.
The Confédération Générale du Travail is one of the unions pushing for higher wages.
At the same time, companies like the one Ms. Marivel works for have struggled to replace people who quit or were let go during epidemics. Depending on the job, you can work different shifts through the day and night.
Aéroports de Paris needs at least 4,000 workers to run the Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports. ICTS didn't reply to the request.
Many people left because they realized there was more to life than low pay. The salaries are not sufficient for the conditions.
Only 20 people took a job when 400 people were hired from an unemployment center near the airport. They stay half a day at work. They go on a meal break and we don't see them again.
It's not yet known whether the momentum will last. The very conditions that led to higher wage demands are likely to cool, as leverage is on the side of workers.
There are labor shortages due to the rebound and reopening tailwinds. There are huge recession fears and central banks are tightening policy. This will affect the labor market further down the road.
While many people are splurging after two years without a vacation, the record surge in inflation could be a problem.
Consumers will be affected by high inflation because people are worried about the future. People are spending a lot of money, but they will sober up.
Adle Cordonnier worked on the report.
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