Airbus workers to stage Europe-wide strike

Workers at Airbus plants in France, Germany and Spain planned strikes and demonstrations today to protest against the aircraft maker’s plans to close plants and cut 10,000 jobs, including 1,600 in the UK.

Earlier this week, an Airbus union said its members at all of the company’s French and German plants would stop work today, while in Spain 9,000 workers at Airbus’ three factories and other sites owned by its parent company EADS were expected walk off the job for an hour.