PARIS, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Wednesday called on Air France pilots to put an end to their strike, which is now in its third day.
"It is regrettable that a single category of employee, in this case pilots, can bring air transport in the country to a standstill," Valls was quoted by Agence France-Presse as telling French Radio.
The prime minister urged the pilots to end the strike, return to dialogue and understand that it is not their status, but the future of the airline that is now threatened.
According to Valls, the protest is "incomprehensible" to most French people and negatively affects the country's image.
Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron also addressed the pilots Wednesday, saying that the strike had to stop. "We can no longer accept that the country is blocked by a few people," Macron was quoted as saying.
The Air France strike began Monday as a protest against the company's plans to transfer jobs to its low-cost subsidiary Transavia, which according to the union, would negatively affect work and pay conditions. The protest is expected to last for a week, making it the longest strike in the company's history since 1998.
So far, the company has managed to operate about 40 percent of its scheduled flights. On Wednesday, Air France had to cancel about 70 percent of its flights from France to Russia.
Last week, the airline's chief executive Frederic Gagey said that the strike might cost the airline between $12.9 million and $19.4 million a day, depending on how many pilots participate.
