In June 2020, air traffic in France declined 84,51 % from 2019, according to the official data. In the month of April, the decline was even 93,28 %. Yet, over the same period, half of the air traffic controllers, the French have hit a bonus... overactivity up to 550 euros, " says The Parisian. The result of an agreement signed in 2016 by the Directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA), with the SNCTA, the main trade union of air traffic controllers and that has not changed despite the very specific situation.
How to explain this situation ? It all starts in 2016. At the time, the DGAC is launching a test with several centres in the air. The airport screeners work more when the traffic requires it, including the summer. They can then retrieve these hours in the winter. Approximately 2,000 controllers receive in exchange for a monthly premium. If the minimum amount is € 250, it can reach up to 550 euros for those who are at Roissy. A monthly premium that does not depend on the vagaries of the news, or a drop in air traffic as is the case today. On 22 June, the DGAC would have even decided to extend the agreement until October 31, 2023.
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"This award does not have to be"
According to Le Parisien, the situation would respond to the DGCA. It normally pulls these income taxes paid by the airlines. With the fall of the traffic, its resources, therefore, have melted. "The DGCA has had to borrow 1.25 billion euros in 2020. And this will not be enough," says a source. Managers argue about the instructions of the minister of Transport. On the side of the controllers, the subject would result in "states of soul". "This bonus has no place to be, recognizes a controller. Many of us have of our states of mind. It is money easily earned," stresses and one of them anonymously.
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The topic has also made wince the Court of auditors on two occasions, in 2018 and 2019. The institution was then asking an assessment of the gains of productivity made possible by the agreement. Without success. However, the total amount of these premiums over the period from 2016 to 2020 has been estimated at 45 million euros. See you in 2023 to make the accounts ?
