Air France unions to meet management Thursday over pay conflict

[April 11, 2018]  PARIS (Reuters) - Air France unions have agreed to meet management on Thursday to discuss wage demands after several days of strikes, a pilots union official said.

Strike notice could be withdrawn if a suitable offer was forthcoming, added the official.

The head of Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA> earlier on Wednesday denounced trade unions' demands for a 6 percent pay increase as unrealistic, as the airline braced for the start of a seventh day of strikes that have hurt its financial performance.

Late on Tuesday, Air France doubled the 1 percent immediate pay increase previously offered to unions and proposed talks on a deal for the 2019-21 period, in response to union demands for a 6 percent wage hike.

(Reporting by Caroline Pailliez; Writing by Brian Love; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

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