- Unions say profits from ticket sales are not being shared with ordinary workers
- They claim dancers for opening ceremony were hired in ‘shameful’ conditions
French trade unionists are threatening to bring chaos to the Paris Olympics as dancers signed up to perform filed a strike notice just one week before the opening ceremony, citing low pay and ‘glaring inequalities in treatment’.
With just a week to go until the lavish boat procession down the River Seine, available tickets cost between £700 and £2,200, with hospitality packages more than £3000.
Such figures for a ceremony lasting less than four hours have incensed the unions, who say that profits are not being shared with ordinary workers.
Many of the 3000 dancers, acrobats and actors who will contribute to the show are working for exceptionally low wages, or even for free, with a union representing the performers saying hundreds of them were recruited under ‘shameful conditions’.
A spokesman for France‘s Union of Performing Artists said today: ‘At this very moment, dress rehearsals for the ceremonies are underway, and we regret to have to announce the filing of a strike notice for the show on July 26, 2024, as well as for the next rehearsals of the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games.’
It is the latest catastrophe facing Games organisers in the French capital who are already contending with heightened security and environmental concerns, not to mention a French government gridlock after hotly contested elections gave no party a clear majority.
A man walks past a sign with the Paris 2024 logo in Paris, France, 17 July 2024
Policeman stands guard at the bridge near Eiffel tower on July 17, 2024 in Paris, France
The union has attempted to negotiate with the private firms organising the Olympics opening ceremony, highlighting ‘questionable practices, glaring inequalities in treatment, and a lack of social dialogue during the preparations for the ceremonies.’
Many show dancers were recruited ‘under shameful conditions, or without payment,’ said the spokesman.
It comes as other unions threaten similar strike action during the ceremony, which is expected to be attended by up to 600,000 people.
Pay rates for the evening range between the equivalent of around £50 to £1400 for entertainment professionals.
Hundreds of volunteers earning nothing at all will also be on duty throughout the evening.
The performers’ union is part of the CGT Confederation of General Workers, which represents the largest number of state employees across France, and it has filed a strike notice covering the entire Olympics and Paralympics.
CGT spokesman Céline Verzeletti said: ‘The advance notice covers all employees in the health sector, local authorities and the state.’
Police trade unionists are being given a bonus of up to £1700 to try and prevent them from withdrawing their labour during the Games.
The threat of industrial action comes at a particularly difficult time for President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently relying on a provisional government following poor parliamentary election results.
His prime minister Gabriel Attal handed in his resignation after Macron’s party lost out but the president requested that Attal stay on to help run the country while parties squabble over powersharing agreements as they try to form a new government.
Empty seats prepared for the opening ceremony are seen along the Seine river on July 17, 2024 in Paris
A worker is pictured sitting in the stands built in the outdoor arena where Equestrian and modern Pentathlon games will be hosted
As event organisers enter talks with trade unions to avoid strikes, French security forces began locking down large parts of central Paris this morning ahead of the hugely complex Olympics opening ceremony.
The opening parade along four miles of the river led to the closure of riverside central districts to most vehicles from 5:00am (0300 GMT).
Anyone wanting to enter the highest-security ‘grey zone’ along both banks of the Seine, such as residents or tourists with hotel reservations in the area, will need a security pass in the form of a QR code.
Many central Metro stations will also be closed on Thursday until the day after the opening ceremony, which will see 6,000-7,000 athletes sail down the Seine on around a hundred barges and river boats.
It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 500,000 people set to watch in person from stands, on the river banks and from the overlooking apartments.
The vast security operation has been giving senior police officers cold sweats ever since it was announced in 2021 because of the difficulty of securing so many spectators in such a large, densely packed urban area.
Around 45,000 officers are set to be on duty for the July 26 parade, assisted by thousands of soldiers and private security agents.