French air traffic controllers said today they would strike next Wednesday to protest against European Union plans to liberalise the industry.
The main French air traffic management union would strike between 6 am and 10 pm (5 am and 9 pm Irish time) and workers in Portugal, Italy, Greece and Hungary would strike between 11 am and 2 pm Irish time, a French union official said.
"It is sure to have a big impact on all European air traffic," Mr Alain Serres, national secretary of the National Union of Air Traffic Controllers (SNCTA), said.
The industrial action, which may be followed by some workers at the Maastricht, Netherlands headquarters of the pan-European air traffic body Eurocontrol, is to protest against draft legislation to harmonise air traffic regulations.
EU transport ministers will discuss the "single skies" proposals at a meeting in Luxembourg next Monday. Unions are opposed to the idea of creating a liberalised market where rival service providers can compete for air traffic control contracts at different airports.
AFP
