Apple France Workers Call Strike Ahead of iPhone 15 Launch

An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)
An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)
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Apple France Workers Call Strike Ahead of iPhone 15 Launch

An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)
An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)

Unions at Apple's stores in France have called for a strike on Friday and Saturday, when the iPhone 15 is due to be launched, demanding better pay and working conditions.

Apple unions including CGT, Unsa, CFDT and Cidre-CFTC have asked for a 7% wage increase to compensate for inflation, and an end to a months-long hiring freeze. Management did not want to offer more than a 4.5% hike, union officials said.

Apple France did not return a request for comment.

"Management having decided to ignore our perfectly legitimate demands and concerns, the four unions of Apple Retail France ...call for a strike on Sept. 22 and 23," CGT Apple Retail said in a statement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

It added that representatives of Apple France's corporate division and Apple's Barcelona team in Spain also called for a strike.

The unions called for workers to demonstrate on Friday morning at Opera Garnier, next to Apple's flagship Paris store.

A CGT Apple Retail union official said the call for a strike had been sent to Apple's 20 French stores. Apple has nine stores in the Paris region, including three in central Paris, and two in Lyon. Other cities with Apple stores include Marseille, Lille and Strasbourg.

"On Tuesday we had a teleconference meeting with Apple's European bosses. They basically said 'you are doing pretty well, do not complain,'" the CGT official said.

Last week, Apple was rocked by a French government decision to suspend sales of iPhone 12 handsets after tests which it said found breaches of radiation exposure limits.

On Friday, Apple pledged to update software on iPhone 12s in France to settle the dispute, but concerns in other European countries signaled it may have to take also similar action elsewhere.



Britain to Introduce Digital Driving Licences this Year

A gaggle of geese stop traffic on The Mall as they cross the road in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, Britain October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
A gaggle of geese stop traffic on The Mall as they cross the road in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, Britain October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
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Britain to Introduce Digital Driving Licences this Year

A gaggle of geese stop traffic on The Mall as they cross the road in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, Britain October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
A gaggle of geese stop traffic on The Mall as they cross the road in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, Britain October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

Britain will introduce digital driving licences later this year in a push to use data to transform public services, the government said on Tuesday.

The licence will be held in a new GOV.UK digital wallet on smartphones and it will enable users to easily prove their age when buying age-restricted items as well as proving a right to drive.

Security features built into smartphones like facial recognition will ensure digital documents are secure even if a device is lost, the government said.

Other credentials issued by the government such as veteran cards and criminal record checks will be added by the end of 2027, it said, while physical documents would also remain available, according to Reuters.

The wallet will come alongside a government app, due this summer, that will make using services like applying for childcare or reporting a lost passport easier.

Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the GOV.UK wallet would mean that every letter or identity document received from the government could be issued virtually.

"For people who choose to use GOV.UK Wallet, they will find it easier to prove they're entitled to benefits or check their age when buying alcohol or DIY equipment, with more security and trust than ever before," he said.

"Crucially, it also opens huge opportunities to make interacting with public services much easier by putting people in control of their own data."

A government review published on Tuesday said the full digitisation of public services could result in more than 45 billion pounds ($55 billion) a year of savings and productivity benefits.

Digital driving licences already exist in Australia, Denmark, Iceland and in some US states.