French air traffic controllers go on strike against the President
Around 30% of flights in and out of Paris will be cut today as part of a nationwide union strike against President Francois Hollande’s business tax cut called the ‘responsibility pact.’ 20% of flights to and from Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse may also be affected.
The French civil aviation authority DGAC made the announcement, saying that air traffic controller unions are asking their members to join a massive public sector strike being called by four unions.
The unions are protesting Hollande’s pact that seeks to reduce business payroll taxes by €30b. In return for the tax cut, businesses are expected to hire more employees. However, unions are afraid that businesses won’t live up to their side of the deal since they will not be legally obliged to hire more people.
Unions are also afraid that massive spending cuts will have a negative impact on the public sector.
President Hollande is eyeing €30b in spending cuts to speed up the country’s recovery and boost employment.