PARIS—The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the government supports the management of Air France-KLM which is currently embroiled in an acrimonious conflict with its workers over job cuts.

"The state supports the management. Our representatives voted, like all the board members, including the representatives of pilots and workers, all the reform plan that was presented by the chairmen of Air France-KLM and Air France," Mr. Valls said on French radio station RTL.

He urged pilots to accept the cost-cutting plans they have opposed so far.

The conflict between Air France management and workers soured on Monday after the company unveiled a new cost-cutting plan after weeks of negotiations with unions broke down after pilots refused to fly more hours for the same pay. The new plan could lead to 2,900 job cuts, which may include forced departures if not enough workers leave voluntarily.

At the end of a meeting between management and unions Monday, a mob of workers grabbed two senior executives, tore their clothes and sent a security guard to hospital. Footage of the incident aired on TV and triggered a vocal debate in the country.

The clash highlights a painful reality for Europe's legacy airlines. Air France is trying to slim its operations to compete with low-cost carriers such as Ryanair Holdings PLC, while also fending off Gulf carriers that have grabbed lucrative market share for long-haul flights to Asia.

Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 07, 2015 04:35 ET (08:35 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Air FranceKLM (EU:AF)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024 Click Here for more Air FranceKLM Charts.
Air FranceKLM (EU:AF)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024 Click Here for more Air FranceKLM Charts.