Mickey Mouse will return to work at Euro Disney at the weekend after the actors who play Disney characters voted yesterday to suspend their 17-day-old strike, ending the longest walkout in the history of the fun park.
Union officials stressed that the Disney parade performers had reached no agreement with management and that the strike was merely "suspended". The union will pursue the demand for artistic rights through the law courts.
"We have just decided to pursue our struggle through different channels," according to Mr Franck Seguy of the CGT union. Around 100 Disney cast members downed costumes nearly three weeks ago demanding better pay and to be recognised as fully-fledged performers.
Their massed walkout forced Euro Disney to shorten its daily parade through toy town and meant only a few Disney characters were on hand to greet the children who flock to the amusement park in their thousands.
The strikers took their protest to the Labour Ministry on Thursday but failed to convince the government to appoint a mediator. They say they will now lodge a suit with the labour arbitration court.
The characters' strike was the latest in a long line of labour disputes at the company, 39 per cent owned by Walt Disney, as directors battled to introduce tough US working practices on an independent-minded French labour force.
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