The strikes would hit ski resorts in the French Alps and Pyrenees right in the heart during the busiest time of the year. Dozens of ski stations may be forced to close.
“We have decided to take action during the February school holidays because our demands are more listened to,” said Eric Becker of the Force Ouvrière trade union.
In France, the spring break is spread over four weeks, from February 4 to March 4. The crocus holidays in Flanders fall from 20 to 26 February, while the school holidays in Wallonia now last two weeks from 20 February to 5 March.
The strikes, which mainly target resorts in the Alps and the Pyrenees, will take place in a staggered order and not in all ski resorts at the same time.
“After the corona pandemic and the energy crisis, this is another blow to the sector. The unions are really shooting themselves in the foot here,” said Pascal de Thiersant of Société des 3 Vallées.
On January 19, the unions already took massive action against French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the minimum age for retirement from 62 to 64 years. More than two million French people took to the streets. There was also major disruption to public transport.
At 62, France has one of the lowest minimum retirement ages in Europe. Initially, Macron intended to set the bar at 65 years. That has since been lowered to 64 years. In this way, the government wants to safeguard the financial viability of social security.
