Europe's Travel Strikes In June: When, Where And What Disruption You Can Expect

Workers across Europe are walking out to protest low pay and poor working conditions.

Europe is a hive of strike action right now, with many employees unhappy that sky-high inflation has not been matched by higher wages.

Walkouts are planned all over Europe, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.

Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

France: Travellers warned about ongoing French pension protests

Unions across France have been in an ongoing battle against an increase in the legal retirement age from 62 to 64.

Protests broke out across the country after President Emmanuel Macron decided to push through the change without a parliamentary vote. Rubbish built up in Paris and was set on fire. Protesters have also clashed with police in the French capital. 

Trade unions have now announced a new nationwide day of protests from 6pm on 5****June until 6am on 7 June ahead of the French parliament's National Assembly on 8 June. 

Will trains be affected by the French pension strike?

SNCF has said that services will only be "very lightly affected" by Tuesday's strike. The French state-owned railer operator will be running 9 out of 10 national services but recommends that people check their journey for updates. 

Some regional services are also operating as normal, like those in Paris. But others could be severely impacted with tram services in Reims likely to be severely disrupted or completely cancelled. Check with local providers before you travel. 

Eurostar says services between the UK and France won't be affected by the strike.

Will flights be affected by the French pension strike?

France's civil aviation authority has said to expect delays and cancellations at a number of airports on 6 June.

It has requested that up to 20 per cent of flights from Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes be cancelled on 6 June. Up to 33 per cent are set to be cancelled from Paris-Orly.  

Roissy Charles de Gaulle doesn't have any planned cancellations. 

Flights over French airspace could also be impacted by air traffic controller strikes.  

Ryanair, Air France and Swiss International Air Lines have warned of potential delays and cancellations.

Where else could the strikes cause disruption?

Tourist attractions in Paris have also closed during previous industrial action. So it is worth checking ahead of time if you'll be travelling on a strike day.

Scotland: Potential disruption at Glasgow and Edinburgh airport

Unite union has warned of summer "travel chaos" at Edinburgh Airport after workers voted in favour of a strike over a pay dispute.  

Staff considering strike action work in areas that will impact airport security, operations in its terminals, search areas, flight processing, airside services and the delivery of supplies, according to the union.

There aren't any confirmed dates yet but the union has warned they will take place if airport bosses don't put a better offer on the table. 

Security staff who work at Glasgow Airport have also been negotiating a pay rise. They have just rejected what the Unite union called a "derisory" offer of a 5 per cent pay increase.

The union is balloting 400 workers employed by five companies; Glasgow Airport Ltd, ICTS Central Search, OCS, ABM and Falck Fire Services UK on strike action. The ballot is due to close on 20 June, with potential strike action to follow in July.

"If these companies don’t come back with fair and decent offers then a summer of travel chaos is on the horizon," warned Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer.

No strike dates had been announced at the time of writing.

England: Summer strikes on the horizon at London Heathrow

Security guards at London Heathrow airport are expected to announce a fresh round of strikes over pay.

Last week, union Unite announced there would be 33 days of strikes over summer. It later retracted this statement but has indicated widespread support for strikes among its members.

Further announcements are expected later this week.

If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we'd love to hear from you via Twitter.

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