PARIS (AP) — Workers went on strike Thursday at the five-star hotel in Paris where members of the International Olympic Committee are staying, walking out just a day before the opening ceremony of the Games.
According to the major French union CGT, the IOC paid the hotel where staffers were striking, Hôtel du Collectionneur, 22 million euros ($23.88 million) for exclusive use of the facility.
The Paris division of the CGT posted a video on social media appearing to be from inside the hotel, showing around a dozen staffers lining a corridor. Employees held signs reading, “No 13th month, no Olympics!,” “Luxury hotel, poverty wages” and “Give us back our social benefits.” Many companies in France pay their workers a bonus in December known as the “13th month.”
The CGT said the employees were demanding a pay increase, having not received a raise for seven years. The strike comes after a fifth round of negotiations failed Wednesday.
“Negotiations with the unions are underway, without affecting the operation of our hotel,” management for Hôtel du Collectionneur said in a statement Thursday. “Our teams remain mobilized and committed to ensuring that our services run smoothly.”
Although a dividend of over 9.5 million euros ($10.3 million) was given to shareholders this year, the union says the hotel has made no attempt to improve the financial situation of its staff.
In a separate protest, around 200 performers stood along the Seine River on Monday and refused to take part in a rehearsal for the opening ceremony being held Friday, protesting working conditions and inequality in the treatment of entertainment workers at the Paris games.
The protests come as tensions run high following recent legislative elections, putting France on the brink of a governing paralysis — which, in turn, has sparked further calls for strikes.
Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT, called this month for mass demonstrations and possible strikes to pressure President Emmanuel Macron into “respecting the results” of the election and allow a left-wing coalition to form a new government.
Binet didn’t rule out strikes during the Olympics. Asked about strikes that could disrupt the biggest event France has ever organized, she said, “At this stage, we don’t plan a strike during the Olympic Games. But if Emmanuel Macron continues to throw gasoline cans on the fires that he lighted …”
CGT has an open call for potential strikes by public service workers from July through September.
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