French easyJet staff call strike over hub closure in south-west France

The announcement by the budget airline easyJet that it closing one of its main hubs in south-west France has been met with fury by French unions, who have called for an ‘unlimited’ strike.

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The UK-based budget airline easyJet announced on Tuesday that it was closing its hub in Toulouse, south-west France.
The move will affect around 125 staff who are based there – but will not have any impact on flights going to or from Toulouse, the company said. EasyJet will continue to run the same routes from Toulouse, including daily flights to the UK.
However the announcement was met with fury by the UNAC union, which described the announcement as “brutal” and “without any prior discussions or consultation process”.
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The union has called for an ‘unlimited’ strike beginning on Monday, September 16th. However it was later clarified that although the strike notice covers three months from September 16th, strike days will be periodic, and will be announced at a later date.
It is unclear at this stage exactly how much disruption the strike action will cause to easyJet flights in and out of France. We will update our strike section when we know more.
Bertrand Godinot, the easyJet director for France said in a press release that the decision to close the hub was based on “a combination of factors, including a slower post-Covid recovery as well as pressure due to inflation, which have impacted easyJet’s ability to invest more in France.”

In total, easyJet employs 1,800 people in France, under French work contracts, and it is anticipated that most of the Toulouse staff will transfer to other bases.

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The UK-based budget airline easyJet announced on Tuesday that it was closing its hub in Toulouse, south-west France.
The move will affect around 125 staff who are based there – but will not have any impact on flights going to or from Toulouse, the company said. EasyJet will continue to run the same routes from Toulouse, including daily flights to the UK.
However the announcement was met with fury by the UNAC union, which described the announcement as “brutal” and “without any prior discussions or consultation process”.
The union has called for an ‘unlimited’ strike beginning on Monday, September 16th. However it was later clarified that although the strike notice covers three months from September 16th, strike days will be periodic, and will be announced at a later date.
It is unclear at this stage exactly how much disruption the strike action will cause to easyJet flights in and out of France. We will update our strike section when we know more.
Bertrand Godinot, the easyJet director for France said in a press release that the decision to close the hub was based on “a combination of factors, including a slower post-Covid recovery as well as pressure due to inflation, which have impacted easyJet’s ability to invest more in France.”
In total, easyJet employs 1,800 people in France, under French work contracts, and it is anticipated that most of the Toulouse staff will transfer to other bases.