The Strikes That Threaten to Disrupt the Paris Olympics

The Paris Olympics are set to begin on Friday with a tradition-breaking Opening Ceremony along the Seine, but in stereotypical French fashion, a series of strikes are threatening to cast a shadow over the Summer Games.

As the city prepares to welcome over 10 million visitors for the global quadrennial sporting event, authorities and organizers have spent years dealing with complex security challenges and racing to clean up the Seine. Adding to that challenge are thousands of workers across industries who are capitalizing on the high-attention moment to exercise their constitutional right to strike. 

Earlier this year, rail workers, police officers, and private security guards went on strikes to demand better pay and improved working conditions during the Olympics. Meanwhile, successful negotiations have managed some strike threats: the city’s garbage collectors, who had gone on strike in May, lifted a strike notice that would have overlapped with the Olympics after Paris authorities granted them an increase in allowance during and after the Games. In an attempt to stave off further discontent—and more strikes—in March, French authorities offered a slew of Olympic-related incentives, including bonuses and time-off compensation, to government employees.

Here’s a look at some of the labor disputes that have continued through this week and may still affect the Paris Olympics, which takes place from July 26 to August 11:

Dancers

On Monday, around 200 performers were seen standing along the Seine with their fists raised in defiance, refusing to take part in a rehearsal as an act of protest against working conditions and inequality in the treatment of entertainment workers at the Games.

The SFA-CGT, the largest union representing workers in the entertainment industry, announced last week that it had filed a strike motion for the Opening Ceremony on July 26 and for the upcoming rehearsals for the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, claiming that there were “questionable practices, glaring inequalities in treatment, and a lack of social dialogue,” during the preparation for the ceremonies. The announcement comes after unsuccessful negotiations between the union and Paris 2024 organizers earlier this month. 

“​​Being remembered by the spectators will not allow them to make a living from their profession,” said the statement, which pointed to stark differences in compensation between performers. 

According to SFA-CGT, around 300 entertainment workers were hired under “shameful” conditions and received only €60 for broadcasting rights compared to the €1,610 given to ballet dancers. On Tuesday, the union said organizers had offered a “timid proposal” of increasing the rate from €60 to €180, which it described as “well below the artists’ demands.” 

On Wednesday, the SFA-CGT announced that the negotiations have led to a partial victory, including an increase in compensation, and they are calling off the protest.

Private hire drivers

Unionized drivers in Paris are planning to stage a protest on July 26 and have filed a strike notice from July 26 to July 29, the opening weekend of the Games. They have been demanding the right to use reserved lanes in the city that are open to taxis but closed to private hire vehicles during the Olympics, as well as an “Olympic bonus” that has been granted to public transport workers.

Airport staff

A number of unionized ground staff across Paris’ major airports—Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), and Paris-Le Bourget (LBG), all owned by the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group—are planning to strike from 5 a.m. (local time) on July 2 to 7 a.m. on July 27.

The impending strike comes after a strike planned for July 17 was averted, following an agreement last week between ADP and union representatives to award bonuses to all airport staff during the Olympics period. While the other unions in the agreement have promised not to strike, the Workers’ Force labor union, which represents 11.5% of ADP airport workers, said that the agreement was not satisfactory. It’s demanding an increased bonus of €1,000—up from the €300 offered in the agreement.