Character performers "strike" action - 15th/16th May 2012

[scampbunny]

Also being reported by FishMan and miss_winnie92 on Disney Central Plaza, with some emphasis on the "should" be back to normal operation tomorrow. And apparently the "strike" should be inverted commas too, as it was really "un droit de retrait" - a "right of withdrawal"? - rather than a true strike like those seen last month.

Apparently people waiting for the Meet Mickey Mouse inauguration were kept waiting even when, according to miss_winnie92, management "knew very well" it would not be happening today. I'm still finding it odd that none of the official Facebook or Twitter accounts have at least posted a message to say the opening has been postponed to a future date, since they announced it would be opening today several times.

I don't think any of the criticism here will be falling on the character performers.

thats horrific from the manangement..... how much damage have management caused from this??? too much....

i do hope the situation has been sorted for the cms, and its sad that it had to come to this to get things sorted......  i do hope they can continue to be as professional as they have been and i totally commend them.....

[Josh]

It's horrible to hear the cause of this strike. The Cast Members don't deserve this at all...

[gemma2806]

All I can say is "Unbelieveable!!". How can the management let one man cause so much disruption and upset to guests and cast members. Very poor managerial skills, all they had to do was suspend the man on full pay pending investigation then everything could be handled with minimal affect on guests and cast members until the situation was resolved.

The poor CM's would have been upset and put on the spot by understandbly angry guests who have paid out so much money to visit the parks in the first place. You would have thought that a company as big as Disney would have been able to handle this better. I just hope that whichever CM was harrassed by this man that they are ok and do not feel that they need to leave their position just because of how the whole thing has been handled.

I hope that everyone, guests and CM's alike can now get back to normal and enjoy Disney as it should be enjoyed and not with something like this hanging over everyone's heads.

[dlpfan1992]

I read on another forum that the strike will continue for a third day! Why are management allow to this continue. They could of easily resolved this problem by suspending the CM and proper investigation. It should off never got this far.

How many more days of no Parade and Meet 'n Greets will they allow before they solve the problem.

Well done DLP Management for creating a PR disaster from a problem that should of been solved straight away!  ](*,)

[DedicatedToDLP(Steve)]

Strange that this isn't being resolved ASAP, are there any employment laws which are maybe stopping them removing the alleged offender immediately? One would assume not as the CMs wouldn't 'strike' if they knew there was something preventing the immediate suspension of said party.

I guess we'll find out more later, as at the moment it's all speculation as to what will happen today. I hope for guests and CMs alike that it gets sorted soon.

[ford prefect]

Before we condemn the management, it should be mentioned that we do not have the full story, neither do we have knowledge of the employment laws in this unfortunate situation.

[ulak]

Which email can i write an request to DLP of this,  if everything was ok this saturday? Thank you!

[littlemermaid83]

From what I have heard the man in question was actually charged with this horrific crime but due to weird French laws on harassment he was able to return to his post after conviction. Hence the mobilization of EPC. I commend them for coming together and standing up for not only the victim but themselves.

[DedicatedToDLP(Steve)]

@insideDLParis has just confirmed the ents crew are all back working as normal today, so I would assume that the matter has now been dealt with to the satisfaction of the CMs. Good news for everyone involved and guests visiting the parks.

[dagobert]

I'm sorry if this has been already asked several times, but what was the resaon for the strike during the last days? How long were the CMs on strike?

Are all problems resolved?

[gingajen]

I'm a little confused. The strikes were reported in todays Daily Mail. So has the situation been resolved or are negotiations still ongoing? Also, typical Daily Mail, mentioned the sexual harassment claims, but also said they were striking due to low wages and poor conditions!

[ulak]

I send email to DLP- and answer is:

"Please rest assured that industrial action is no longer taking place at the resort."

[Anthony]

I'm a little confused. The strikes were reported in todays Daily Mail. So has the situation been resolved or are negotiations still ongoing? Also, typical Daily Mail, mentioned the sexual harassment claims, but also said they were striking due to low wages and poor conditions!

Completely resolved as far as we're aware. Don't trust the Daily Mail.

Here's the article for anyone who wants reason to bang their head against a wall: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... sment.html

Strangely the Sun reports it a little better, albeit with a photo from California: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... ickey.html

Idiotic quote of the week:

‘It’s bizarre that Disneyland characters are going on strike,’ said Eileen Holmes, a 32-year-old mum from south London who was in Paris with her two young children.

‘You expect to see French lorry drivers and fishermen on strike, but not cartoon characters!’

And here they've merged the two (unconnected as far as we're aware) periods of disruption into one:

All of the characters come from the entertainment department at Disneyland, where an insider said: ‘We are all hugely professional, but have every right to go on strike if we believe that someone who should not be here is working alongside us. We also object to low pay.’

The Disney board in Paris argued that there was not enough evidence to incriminate the alleged sexual harassment offender.

It also denies that staff have the right to ‘opt out’ of their duties, and has pledged to impose harsh financial penalties on strikers.

Hundreds of  members of four powerful unions have been taking part in demonstrations outside the amusement park on the outskirts of the French capital.

Those caught up in the industrial action last month included hundreds of British families who experienced strike action in March.

No strikes please, we're British!

I'm not sure what they're referring to by saying "Hundreds of members of four powerful unions have been taking part in demonstrations outside the amusement park on the outskirts of the French capital." I was there both at the end of March and on 12th April when there were striking workers outside the gates. I'd be surprised if they even totalled 50, let alone a hundred, let alone hundreds.

[Epcot_Boy]

I was also there on that 1st day of protest in March. I have to say although a pain they didn't really spoil my enjoyment that much and yes...............I doubt that there was more than a hundred protesters







[youtube:1p8fn8dz]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOxdt1E8MHI&feature=channel&list=UL[/youtube:1p8fn8dz]

Lets face it, our press is prone to exaggerate :-"

[ilovedisneylandparis]

Some of the comments on the Daily Mail article seem really unfair, I red-arrowed them and even made a DM account so I could give 'em my own opinion, haha. Don't see how comments like "This would never happen in Hong Kong Disneyland" help anything?!

I guess we don't know the full story but I would much rather these workers actually took action to remove someone dangerous from the park than just let it slide  :x Loads of people are just using it as an excuse to insult DLP, saying it has "broken down rides" as standard, as if it's some sort of derelict fairground. I get really protective of it haha