A workers’ strike at Geneva International Airport, Switzerland’s second-largest airport, led to the cancellation of about 60 flights on Friday. The cancellations began shortly after the strike began at around 06:00 (08:00 GMT), airport authorities said.
Takeoff and landing operations resumed about four hours later, when runway staff returned to work. However, the unions decided to maintain the strike until Saturday.
“Traffic is resuming, but it will be slower than usual,” Ignace Jeannerat, Geneva airport spokesman, told AFP.
Airport staff called the strike on Thursday after the airport’s board approved a controversial wage policy for the public company’s workers. Many international flights bound for North America and the Middle East were affected by the strike.
This strike is historic, as it is the first time it has directly affected staff employed by the airport. According to a Swiss airline, the strike includes controllers and runway staff.
On Friday, the entrance to the airport was guarded by police and security personnel, and only people with scheduled flights were allowed access. Outside the terminal’s main entrance, dozens of striking workers and union members protested the situation.
One union leader expressed his discontent that it had come to this extreme situation in a country where strikes are very rare.Pierre-Yves Maillard, president of the Swiss Union of Trade Unions (USS), said the airport is a profitable enterprise that benefits from a monopoly and is attacking the working conditions of the staff. According to official data, between January and May, approximately 6.8 million passengers used this airport.