TESTIMONIALS – Teleworking, cycling, walking… Everyone has their own method to be able to work as normally as possible this Thursday.
«I’m going to try anyway, but I’m afraid it’s crowded“Blows George. Forced to go to work because of “important meeting“, this bank employee rolls his eyes at the idea of facing the crowd on strike days in the Paris metro. The RATP has indeed announced very significant disruptions to its network this Thursday, including the complete closure of five lines. Like him, millions of Ile-de-France residents will have to find a solution to work on this day of mobilization. Between teleworking, walking or even cycling, everyone has their own method.
A Parisian for several years, Amaury ended up making a rather radical decision: “during the strikes caused by the pension reform in 2019, I decided to invest in an electric scooter“, he explains. A choice he says he does not regret because of the proliferation of social movements and daily problems in the circulation of the metros. He’s not happy though:with the strike many people who do not usually use this type of transport will be on the streets and some are real dangers“, he laments.
Not everyone was so foresighted. Marie will have to make the trip on foot, although her boss gives her the possibility of telecommuting. An option rejected by this data consultant, who does not really appreciate working at home, “I am less productive“, she points. Good point, she is not likely to be bothered much by her colleagues:I expect to see few people in the office“, she concludes. Same determination to join his work for Violette. “Usually I take a Vélib, but I don’t have too many illusions about tomorrow…“, underlines the young woman. Despite her staggered schedules, she has already planned to leave home an hour earlier to be able to reach the art gallery in which she works on foot.
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For others, the choice is quite limited:I live in the Yvelines, I normally take an hour and a half to go to university“, points out Andrea, in license of law in Assas. Stopping transport therefore necessarily means spending the day at home. Problem, his establishment does not intend to stop the courses and the distance is not generalized either: “they do it when the teachers can’t come, but not for the students“, she curses. As a result, she will miss three hours of lectures and is counting on solidarity between students to catch up with them.
As a last resort, some will opt for a taxi or a VTC. But if the number of drivers tends to increase by 10% on strike days according to Bolt, this is not much compared to the soaring needs. In February, during a comparable social movement, demand had doubled, again according to the Estonian company. As a result, significant price increases.
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While the vast majority of those questioned are unkind to the strikers, a small number say they support them despite the inconvenience caused. This is the case of Jean-François, who agrees to take a long bike ride tomorrow to connect Hauts-de-Seine to his work in the heart of Paris. He does not rule out going to demonstrate but without going on strike and making up for the hours of absence because “I don’t want to penalize my colleagues and I have nothing personally to reproach my boss“, he argues. Same understanding for Hugo, employed in an audiovisual company: “It’s for a good cause“, he underlines. He too will have to change his route, to the usual line 9, he will try to get into the 1, automatic. “It adds me 30 minutes of travel and we will be tight as anything. But hey, we’re used to ithe says, laughing.
On the eve of a three-day weekend, the problem is not just about commuting to the office. “I was thinking of telecommuting, but as I have a train afterwards I will have to do everything by bike“, explains Cédric, 29 years old. Too bad, he will go to Normandy with his two-wheeler, hoping to be able to fit it in a wagon.