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Apple is facing another challenge in France after four unions have timed the start of a two-day strike on the same launch day of the iPhone 15 series. The unions reportedly asked for a higher wage hike and better working conditions but were told they were “doing pretty well” and not to complain.

The four unions in France (including CGT, Unsa, CFDT, and Cidre-CFTC) invite workers to join the demonstration this Friday morning, with the strike generally lasting until Saturday. Participants will protest at Opera Garnier, which is just next to Apple’s flagship store in Paris.

The groups demand a 7% pay increase, but the management reportedly doesn’t want to get anywhere beyond 4.5%. Even more, CGT shared that Apple Europe rebuffed the demands during a meeting with a strong statement.

“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 told Reuters.

Representatives belonging to Apple France’s corporate division and Apple’s Barcelona team in Spain have also decided to protest. The CGT union said that it invited workers from 20 Apple French stores. This could be problematic for Apple since its iPhone 15 launch is set for the same day the protest will start. 

“The management having decided to ignore our demands and concerns despite their perfect legitimacy, the four unions of Apple Retail France (as well as the representatives of the Barcelona and Corporate teams) are calling for a strike, on September 22 and 23: we will remind management that it is not these movements that harm the company, but rather their denial in the face of the discomfort of its employees,” CGT posted on X.

The news follows a recent problem Apple faced in France due to the claimed high radiation of its iPhone 12 models. France’s Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) then requested Apple to roll out an update to resolve this, or it could face product recalls. Apple then announced that it would comply with the update request despite noting that this response was not an affirmation of the issue but would only be implemented to meet the protocol of France.

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