Air France to meet unions over pay dispute as strike hits flights

Air France unions leading a strike on Wednesday over wage demands agreed to meet management for further negotiations after the airline improved its salary offer. The industrial action by Air France pilots, cabin crew and ground staff has so far cost the airline E170m and contributed to travel disruption in the country at a time rail workers are also protesting against planned reforms. A pilots union official said talks were slated for Thursday and that a notice for future strikes could be withdrawn if a suitable pay offer was forthcoming. Air France raised its 2018 pay offer to the unions late on Tuesday to 2% - double its previous offer but still well below unions’ demands for a 6% increase. Air France said it expected to run 70% of its scheduled flights on Wednesday, the seventh day company staff have walked out. The head of the overall Air France KLM group had earlier denounced the unions’ demands for a 6% pay increase as unrealistic. “The offer made by the management of Air France is both strong and reasonable,” Air France KLM’s CE Jean-Marc Janaillac said Wednesday.<br/>