Disneyland Paris Staff Warn Of ‘Explosive’ Escalation In Dispute With Management

One of the biggest unions representing striking workers at Disneyland Paris has warned that the situation “could become explosive” after the theme park operator refused to renegotiate staff pay until August.

The French resort has been gripped by strikes for a number of days over the past month as around 1,000 disenchanted workers have marched through its two theme parks waving flags and placards. The protests started out as ad hoc gatherings but have been getting increasingly intense as demonstrators blocked paths and prevented parades and shows from taking place.

Ironically, the 17,000 staff at Disneyland Paris are known as Cast Members because they play a role in an escapist environment. It was anything but a fairytale when the nightly entertainment was canceled on Wednesday and boos began raining down on the protestors from angry guests. A video of the scene quickly went viral around the world after it was posted by the DLP Report social media account which has been documenting the dispute in detail.

Amongst other things, the striking staff are asking for a monthly wage increase of $215 (€200), improvements to the length of service bonus and increased pay for working on Sundays.

As I recently reported, total staff costs at Disneyland Paris have risen by 40.1% over the past decade to hit a record $816 million (€761 million) in 2022. Since then, Disneyland Paris’ staff have received a further 5.5% pay increase but even that isn’t enough to keep up with the soaring inflation in France.

According to a recent report by business magazine Barron’s, since Russia invaded Ukraine, the cost of electricity in France has jumped almost four times whilst flour, butter, and eggs are all about 50% more expensive.

After weeks of remaining silent on the strikes, Disneyland Paris’ president Natacha Rafalski finally released a statement on Monday through the company’s internal staff network, known as the Workplace. Instead of caving in to the protesters’ demands, Rafalski said that Disneyland Paris is taking a cautious approach with its finances so will not enter into pay negotiations until a pre-arranged review in August. Her comments failed to have a magic touch.

Condemnation quickly came from the National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions (UNSA), a French confederation of trade unions. In a statement on its Facebook page, the UNSA said that its members “condemn the president’s contempt, her lack of sincerity and consideration…For the UNSA Disneyland Paris, there is no question of moving on to something else. We will continue to fight for better working conditions, a considerable quality of life and a significant increase for all DLP Cast Members.”

The UNSA added that “the response from president Natacha Rafalski represents a serious problem which raises a crisis for social dialogue, it inevitably leads to a situation that could become explosive. Given the urgency of the moment, and the severity of its consequences, UNSA Disneyland Paris asks to meet with the president.”

According to DLP Report their wish will be granted later today as Rafalski will address the Cast Members during a live internal Q&A with the head of HR Guillaume Da Cunha and new chief operating officer Christophe Murphy.

So far, Disneyland Paris has communicated little to the public about the strikes but DLP Report has filled the void. According to the account, no strikes are planned until Tuesday at the earliest in respect of a charity event taking place over the next few days. DLP Report added that “unions should discuss on Monday so possibly more details then.” Ominously, the account says that “after Disney’s refusal to negotiate before August, it’s expected these [strike] actions will continue in various forms and at various times until then.”

This couldn’t have come at a worse time. Not only is Disneyland Paris heading into the busy summer season but, as we reported earlier this week, it has also recently lost its direct rail service to the UK which is where the highest number of guests come from outside France.

“There was something really easy and safe for families to just get in the train and arrive at the Park’s entrance,” said DLP Report earlier this week. “Yeah was so much easier with the baby than flying,” said one traveler in reply. Another added that they have “used [the direct service] over a dozen times, and any other route will eat into park time now.” The effect this could have was laid bare by one Twitter user who said the loss of the service “sadly will really limit me going to DLP.”

These aren’t the only problems Disneyland Paris is facing as DLP Report has also shone a spotlight on breakdowns and disrepair there. Some examples were highlighted in our recent article but since then another has come to light. Navigating these challenges isn’t likely to be a walk in the park but Disneyland Paris has everything to play for.

In March we revealed in the Sunday Times that Disneyland Paris’ operating company, Euro Disney Associés, made a $51 million operating profit last year – its highest in a decade. It was driven by a sharp increase in revenue which hit a record $2.6 billion and represented a staggering 78.8% of the total generated by Disney’s international theme parks.

In light of the recent setbacks it remains to be seen whether the business will be profitable again this year and how its employees would react if it is. Pacifying them may seem like a tough ask but if there’s any company that knows how to make miracles happen, it’s Disney.