Paris (AFP)

The Air France CGT assured Monday that the "new financial support" mentioned by the Minister of the Economy was "no more money injected" but the transformation of a state loan "into capital" .

"The minister speaks of + new financial support +, we can assure that it is not. It is a question of transforming the State loan of 3 billion euros in capital. So no more of money injected into Air France ", underlines in a press release the CGT.

Sunday, Bruno Le Maire had announced that an "agreement in principle" had been reached with the European Commission on the release of new financial aid for Air France, which will have in exchange to give up "a certain number of slots" to the Orly airport.

"It will be less than 24", assured the Minister of the Economy to the "Grand Jury" RTL / Le Figaro / LCI, speaking of an agreement "fair and proportionate for Air France", at the end of a negotiation " hard "," long and difficult ".

For its part, "the CGT claims that no niche of the Air France group is sold," recalls the union.

"Giving less than 24 slots is not" fair and proportionate ", as the Minister of the Economy claims. It is just throwing Air France employees to food for competition with employees of low-cost companies. cost, "said the union.

While Mr. Le Maire said that Air France would have to "make efforts to compete", the CGT of the company considers that "behind this sentence, it is the employees who are targeted", or "to eliminate jobs of Air France and therefore the know-how, is to deprive oneself of being able to seize the activity when the recovery in the aviation sector will be there ".

The State, a shareholder of Air France, has already provided support of 7 billion euros (direct or guaranteed loans) to the group, victim like the entire aviation sector of the Covid-19 crisis.

According to Mr. Le Maire, a board of directors must this Monday "validate the principle" of the agreement reached with the European Commission, with regard to competition rules.

A central Air France social and economic committee (CSE) was convened on Tuesday morning.

© 2021 AFP