Mickey Mouse goes on strike

See you kids, we are off to try and get more money

Mickey Mouse and a whole host of his Disney friends have gone on strike.

Many of the actors who dress up as the children's favourites at Disneyland Paris - formerly known as EuroDisney - have downed costumes. The employees are demanding a pay rise after complaining they are not treated as serious thespians.

The strike has left visitors to France's largest tourist attraction disappointed. Daily parades have been disrupted, shows scrapped and instead of a friendly Disney character, children have been met by picketing strikers.

EuroDisney could grind to a halt if strike action escalates

The ongoing dispute shows no signs of ending and reports suggest it could escalate.

The strike began on June 24, when around 100 performers who dress up as Disney characters left work in an effort to force through a 7% pay rise.

"We demand to be considered for what we are. That is fully fledged performers and not bit players," said Danielle Crapart, who has worked at Disneyland since it opened seven years ago.

Disneyland's management attempted to play down the strike action, claiming that the actors were gradually returning to work. They have maintained their tough stance against any pay rises.

However unions said that the strike action was growing with around 200 actors leaving work and technicians and restaurant staff joining in.

Until the dispute is settled the main losers will be the children who come to Disneyland Paris. Donna Grossman, on holiday from New York with her two young children, said: "This is horrible for the kids ... the characters are the main attraction for them. Who is going to autograph their books?"

The strike has hit the company's shares. They fell more than 2% to FF12.10 in early trading on the French stockmarket on Wednesday on top of a 3% fall on Tuesday.