French IKEA Staff Strike

French IKEA staff strike.

Hundreds of French staff at IKEA, the world's biggest furniture retailer, went on strike on Saturday to demand better pay and conditions.

Up to 1,000 staff supported the action, which closed down at least one store, the CGT union said.

Union representatives said the strike was the biggest to hit the French operations of the Swedish firm which has long cultivated an employee-friendly image. IKEA, which sells low-price, self-assembly furniture in 25 countries, has had to make staff cuts worldwide and slow down expansion in response to the global economic downturn.

But the chain is popular in France and has overtaken furniture retailer Conforama, which belongs to the French retail and luxury group PPR.

"This is a historic movement, it is the first time there are so many workers on strike at IKEA France," CGT official Olivier Bireau told Reuters.

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