Workers at Apple stores in France are set to strike and disrupt the launch of the iPhone 15 in a battle over pay, trade unions told AFP on Wednesday.

The unions called for two days of action on social media beginning on Friday, when the new handset is due to launch, saying Apple management had ignored their "perfectly legitimate" demands.

Apple has faced a rough time in France lately, with the government blocking sales of the iPhone 12 last Tuesday after it returned illegally high readings for radiation emissions.

The global launch of the iPhone 15 was also overshadowed by the firm's capitulation to European Union demands for smartphones to be kitted out with universal charging ports rather than Apple's proprietary "lightning" ports.

Apple workers in France have been campaigning for a seven percent pay rise but management have offered 4.5 percent -- which the unions say is too low given vast increases in the cost of living.

"The launch of a new iPhone would normally be a cause for celebration but this time we're not in the mood," Albin Voulfow, the CFDT union delegate for Apple Retail France, told AFP.

Organisers said most of Apple's 20 stores across the country would be affected, with staff walkouts expected at some branches and demonstrations planned at others.

"The aim is not to blockade the stores but to make management and the public aware of the problem," said Voulfow.

The company has not yet responded to an AFP request for comment.

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