Air France: “Laying-off employees would be a grave management error…”

TourMaG.com - During the Work’s Council of Friday, September 4th, Frédéric Gagey, CEO of Air France, threatened to reduce by 10% the company’s long-haul network between now and 2017 if he failed to find an agreement with the unions. How do you react to this threat?

Emmanuel Mistrali: We were hoping for something else than this speech centered on decline. In fact, I have the feeling that even if we agree to comply with the requested efforts, this Plan B will still be applied.

The leadership is only looking for a someone to blame.

TourMaG.com - The reducing of the network would lead to the elimination of at least 3,000 jobs, as estimated by the newspaper Le Monde last June. Do you think this is possible?

Emmanuel Mistrali: Air France believes it is able to maintain the same model as the group British Airways. But we are in a different era.

At the time, when the British group fired people, we were going through a crisis. Whereas today, air travel is growing.

A growth that has, unfortunately, been absorbed by our competitors and not us. I believe that it would be a true management error to fire employees in such a context.

TourMaG.com - According to the Echos, Air France if preparing to launch a low-cost, long-haul company. How do you interpret this proposition?

Emmanuel Mistrali: These are only leaks, rumors. Nothing has been presented to the Works Council. But we would be glad to see, in our hands, a true project to boost growth with concrete perspectives for the future, in exchange for which we would put in our share of efforts.

But, once gain, the leadership is launching things without consulting us and only promises decline during meetings. And that’s a shame.

In fact, how can it ask to make efforts and threaten to fire on one hand, while projecting to launch a low-cost company and hire pilots on the other?

TourMaG.com - Would you be willing to return to negotiating and finish this never-ending conflict once and for all?

Emmanuel Mistrali: Of course, we hope to get out of this grotesque paralyzed situation.

Despite their constant provocations, we remain ready to negotiate with the leadership in order to advance, in exchange for a solid project that aimed at industrial growth.