Letters from Geneva airport, December 24, 2023 in Switzerland (AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI)
An agreement ended Sunday around noon to a strike by employees of a service provider at Geneva airport which disrupted traffic since dawn, causing delays and cancellations of flights, the SSP union indicated on the network x.
“Victory,” said the union after the announcement of an agreement between striking employees of Dnata, the Emirati service provider and its management.
“They managed to get (the management, Editor’s note) to give up a reduction in their retirement funds, to obtain salary increases, allowances and hourly compensation,” added the union without giving further details.
Dnata employees began their movement at 4:00 a.m. local time (03:00 GMT) and in the morning the Geneva airport experienced disruptions to its traffic.
Six flights in total were canceled and others were delayed by more than an hour, the airport management said in a press release.
Picket line in front of Geneva airport, December 24, 2023 in Switzerland (AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI)
Flights were also operated without loading or unloading suitcases, the statement added.
On Sunday, employees of Dnata (Dubai National Air Travel Agency) had to take care of 85 of the 417 flights planned in Geneva, a busy day with 52,000 passengers expected, said the spokesperson for the Geneva airport Ignace Jeannerat, whose comments were reported by the ATS-Keystone agency.
Early Sunday morning, some 80 employees of the Emirati company gathered in front of the airport wearing yellow fluorescent bibs, brandishing signs with messages like “Dnata is killing me” or “precarious wages mean grounded planes”.
Picket line in front of Geneva airport, December 24, 2023 in Switzerland (AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI)
Dnata employs some 600 employees in Geneva, who handle various ground operations – ticketing, baggage handling, etc. – on behalf of several airlines, including British Airways, Air France and KLM.
According to the union, around half of Dnata employees had participated in the strike demanding a 5% increase in wages.
The SSP for its part denounced the “pressure” exerted by the company, affirming that it had threatened to dismiss employees who went on strike, reported 20minutes.
© 2023 AFP
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