With 4 days left until the opening ceremony, the organizers of the Paris Olympics have had to deal with increasing strike threats from labor organizations over the last week. The latest is a labor union representing dancers that filed a labor dispute against the contracting company that produces the ceremony that will take place on the Seine River.
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Dancers for the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games
(Photo: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
According to reports, this is the SFA-CGT union, the largest in the entertainment sector in France and it is the one that signed the strike request that is planned for July 26, the day that the opening ceremony is set to take place. The reason: 'blatant inequality' between the workers ("performers") hired for the ceremony.
This is not the first threat of a strike; A strike request also was submitted for August 28 - the day of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. The workers' union makes it clear that they do not intend to hold negotiations with the events organization "Panama 24" that produces the show. This is after previous negotiations between the parties did not go well.
Only recently was a strike planned by the airport staff at Paris' two major airports - Charles de Gaulle and Orly - canceled, when at the end of the negotiations the trade unions and management were promised a special bonus.
The General Workers' Union in France threatened that security workers unionized with it may strike during the games due to difficult working conditions, such as the inability to go on vacation during the summer; they are demanding adequate compensation for the increased workload and restrictions.