Airbus to boost some pay as Macron urges French firms to tackle crisis

Airbus is ready to pay a special bonus to its lowest-paid workers after French President Emmanuel Macron called on French companies to help tackle weeks of protests about the cost of living, according to a staff memo. The intervention by Europe’s largest aerospace firm - part-owned by French, German and Spanish states - comes after Macron last week urged company leaders including planemaking chief and designated CEO Guillaume Faury to do more to ease the crisis. However, Airbus - which depends primarily on exports of jetliners in competition with US rival Boeing - has also stressed the importance of remaining competitive and warned against focusing solely on “cyclical and pecuniary measures”. “Airbus is ready to contribute and support the government’s action in response to this emergency, while recalling the absolute necessity to maintain the competitiveness of French companies that are exposed, like Airbus, to strong international competition,” said the memo to French staff. A spokeswoman said the size and scope of any bonus payment had yet to be defined and would be discussed in the regular course of dialogue with the company’s unions.<br/>