Airbus has reportedly conceded to employees’ remote‑working demands following a series of strikes prompted by the CEO’s push for increased office attendance.
The world’s largest aircraft manufacturer has softened its plan to limit remote work to a single day per week from September. Staff can currently work from home up to two days each week.
Thechange followed CEO Guillaume Faury’s high‑profile campaign to bring personnel back into the office, arguing that in‑person collaboration was essential to meet record demand and advance new product development amid a recent hiring surge.
In a June memo, Faury told employees that while remote working had been a lifeline during the Covid pandemic, the present reality now demanded on‑site collaboration. “I count on all of you to support this,” he wrote, a note reported by Bloomberg.
However, the disruption caused by successive strikes in Spain, France, and the UK has forced a reversal. Managers have now been instructed that staff can work remotely an average of two days per week, effectively curbing the CEO’s original mandate.
In Spain, workers have been striking intermittently since July, with around 40 % of the company’s 14,000 local employees participating in recent walk‑outs over remote‑work terms, transport, paid leave and wages.
Similar, sporadic protests have taken place in France and the UK over proposed four‑day‑per‑week office mandates for white‑collar staff.
Reuters reports that Airbus production, a critical hub of the European defence industry, has not been affected by the strikes.
An Airbus spokesperson said: “Our objective remains the same: we aim for increased on‑site presence to ensure better collective efficiency Лучнички, knowledge transfer and faster decision‑making.”
“However, effective change requires listening to our people. Based on employee feedback, weacco-implement this transition more gradually.”
