WORKERS AT AIR France have angrily pulled the shirts from the backs of the airline’s executives at the company’s headquarters.
Situated near to the Roissy airport in Paris, a large number of employees gathered outside to protest against wide-reaching job cuts.
A number of union activists then stormed the executive meeting, focusing their ire against two of the company’s senior managers.
The two executives caught up in the protest were director of HR Xavier Broseta and assistant director of long-haul flights, Pierre Plissonnier.
Air France CEO Frederic Gagey was also present at the meeting but made a hasty exit.
AFP is reporting that one union delegate said that Broseta “was almost lynched” by the protesters.
The meeting of executives had been taking place to announced the planned restructuring.
The Guardian is reporting that a restructuring being undertaken by the company will see the loss of 1,700 ground staff, 900 cabin crew and 300 pilots over the next two years.
Air France is currently running at a loss and struggling in the face of global competition.
Following the incident, management condemned the violence and said that it would be making a report to police.
The protesting workers today were made up of ground staff, stewards and hostesses.
The company is currently seeking voluntary redundancies from its workers but has not ruled out moving to make these compulsory.
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