What is the right to strike?
The right to strike is a fundamental freedom recognized for all employees, whether unionized or not, and regardless of the union that calls the strike.
A strike is a collective and concerted cessation of work to support demands. No employee may be penalized or discriminated against for exercising their right to strike.
Obligations of striking employees
Employees who exercise their right to strike must respect the work of non-striking employees. During a strike, striking employees cannot prevent access to the establishment. Damage to equipment or premises and acts of violence are subject to prosecution before the competent courts.
How do I declare myself on strike at Airbus?
The right to strike can be used by all employees, whether they are union members or not. It is an individual choice for the employee to exercise their right to strike or not.
Before the strike, the manager must ask the employees in their department who will be striking. If they do not, the employee must simply inform them before or after the strike. There is no obligation for notice or justification to declare a strike. It is the manager who declares in the myHR tool that the employee is on strike and the duration (after the fact for the latter). No action is required in the tool from the employee.
How long can I go on strike for?
If there is a national call (for example, for each day of protest against the pension reform): the employee is covered to strike for the entire day if they wish, or less (for example, 1h, 2h, 3h…).
If the duration declared by the employee is not available in the myHR tool, Human Resources must do what is necessary to add this duration so that the manager can choose it.
What is the impact on my payslip?
Only the portion of the salary proportional to the duration of the strike declared by the employee may be withheld by the employer.
After the strike, be sure to check your payslip: there are often errors in the deductions made by the employer!
What is the impact on my leave?
Exercising the right to strike suspends the execution of the employment contract for the entire duration of the employee’s strike, so these days are not treated as periods of actual work for the calculation of paid leave. However, for one day, this will not impact the employee’s annual paid leave allowance. Indeed, the employer will not deduct a few minutes from the employee’s leave quota.
To learn more (in French)
- Right to strike, user guide (cgt.fr)
- Right to strike for a private sector employee (service-public.fr)
Feel free to contact us for any further questions: syndicat.cgt@airbus.com