Apple store workers demonstrate in front an Apple Store, near Opera in Paris, with the company logo on the facade, on the store release day of the iPhone 15 on September 22, 2023. Workers at Apple stores in France are set to strike and disrupt the launch of the iPhone 15 in a battle over pay, trade unions told AFP. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
The iPhone 15's big release in France coincided with strikes by Apple store employees nationwide. They were seeking better pay and working conditions, Reuters reports.
This labor action comes hot on the heels of a radiation scandal that recently saw the tech giant halt sales of its iPhone 12 model in France, further complicating Apple's relationship with its French employees and customers.
Apple Strike in France
On a rainy Friday morning, approximately 30 Apple store employees picketed outside the iconic Opera Apple store in central Paris, just a stone's throw away from a line of eager customers waiting to get their hands on the latest iPhone.
Anais Durel, a dedicated Apple employee with a decade of service, succinctly summed up the workers' sentiments, telling Reuters, "We are still the people who make Apple's wealth, and therefore I think that we deserve a little more honorable treatment than what we are given today."
Despite the strike, all Apple France stores remained open, albeit with reduced staffing levels, as reported by a CGT union official.
Demands for Fair Compensation
The strike was organized by multiple Apple unions, including CGT, Unsa, CFDT, and Cidre-CFTC, who collectively seek a 7% wage increase to combat the impact of inflation and end a months-long hiring freeze.
It was a "legitimate demand that was not met," the groups said in a joint statement.
In contrast, Apple management has offered a 4.5% raise along with a nominal increase in restaurant ticket benefits.
Read Also: Hundreds Queue for iPhone 15 Release in China Despite Recent Bans
Protests in France and Spain
Staff at an Apple store in Barcelona, Spain, joined their French counterparts in protesting poor working conditions.
Approximately 250 people were queuing outside the Barcelona store, with 20 workers staging an information picket outside the Paseo de Gracia store.
Pablo Paredes, leader of the CNT Apple union, expressed concerns about the contracts that failed to compensate employees for weekend and night shifts.
While CNT remains a minority union in Spain and only operates in one of Barcelona's two Apple stores, their grievances echoed the sentiments of their colleagues in France.
Apple's Troubles in France
Earlier, the company was compelled to stop selling its iPhone 12 model in the country due to concerns raised by a French watchdog about above-threshold radiation levels.
Apple has consistently contested these findings, setting up a contentious backdrop to the ongoing labor unrest.
Renaud Chateauroux, CFDT national delegate within the company, explains to local newspapers the importance of the timing of the strike, which coincided with the iPhone 15 launch.
"It is therefore to show how serious we are in this movement," Chateauroux explained. He emphasized that the workers are merely asking for dignified compensation, considering they work for one of the world's wealthiest companies.
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