As French ski workers announce strikes, how could they affect half-term holidays?

Industrial action is causing uncertainty for those booking February skiing trips

Two unions have announced plans to strike (David Cheskin/PA) (PA Archive)

French ski workers have threatened “unlimited” strike action from 31 January.

Head of France’s Force Ouvriere union, Eric Becker, said: “We have decided to call for a strike during the February holidays because demands are listened to more during this period.”

Holidaymakers are understandably concerned that the industrial action could affect upcoming half-term holidays, which land roughly between 13-19 February in the UK. Meanwhile, France’s holiday equivalent runs from 4 February to 4 March.

But how could it affect your next ski trip? Here’s everything we know so far.

Who is going on strike?

Two of the largest unions in the industry, Force Ouvrière and Confédération Générale du Travail, have both submitted open-ended plans to strike.

The former represents ski lift operators, while the latter represents seasonal workers.

The ski lift and resort staff are planning to strike as part of a wider dispute about pension reforms in France, as well as proposed benefit changes for seasonal workers.

What does “unlimited” mean in this case?

Although announced as “unlimited”, the strike notice issued on Monday for 31 January by France’s two main ski lift unions, Force Ouvrière (FO) and the CGT, does not mean that ski lift employees will not return to work the following day.

Eric Becker, secretary general of Force Ouvrière, told AFP that “the lifts will operate normally from the next day” after 31 January, adding, “we do not want to further weaken companies already in difficulty”.

According to Becker, the aim of this “unlimited” notice is to respect legal deadlines in order to “allow seasonal workers to take part in the next day of action against the pension reform, which should be decided for a February day”.

The France tourism development agency, Atout France, advised The Independent that this means the strikes should only affect one or two isolated dates in January and February, rather than the whole of the French or UK school holidays.

A national strike date for France in February has yet to be announced.

Union bosses have hinted that action could escalate over the dates of the Ski World Cup in Courchevel and Meribel.

The event is set to take place from 6-19 February, and Confédération Générale du Travail’s Eric Becker has warned of “especially strong action” around this time.

How could French ski resort strike action affect half-term holidays?

As it is not yet clear how long the French ski resort strikes could go on for, it’s uncertain what level of worker shortages could hit resorts over the UK half-term holidays.

The strike action is to affect ski lifts being operated, but this is expected to involve staggered stoppages, rather than all lifts being closed at once. An erratic service is expected.

Travellers heading to a French ski resort on or after 31 January should contact their holiday provider for more information.

If you’ve booked a package through a tour operator, they may contact you to prepare you for any changes to your holiday.

A Crystal Ski spokesperson told The Independent: “We’re aware of potential ski lift operator strike action during February. We’re working with our partners in our resorts to understand the impact so we can help mitigate disruption where possible.

“We will be liaising with customers who are travelling to France during this time directly to keep them updated.”

A spokesperson for ski operator Inghams said: “We’re aware that some French ski lift operators are planning strike action on Monday 31 January 2023, and we’re working closely with our resort partners to monitor the situation.

“At present, we understand this will be limited to a one-day strike and we have been assured that disruption is likely to be minimal. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates of any changes. If we anticipate further disruption, we will contact those impacted directly.”