Published on :
The mobilization against rising prices continues in France. After the refiners, it is in public transport that the movement seems to be gaining momentum. Strong disruptions are expected this Thursday, November 10, especially in trains and the Paris metro.
Ile-de-France transport is “ on the verge of implosion “. These words of a trade unionist of the RATP, the Autonomous Paris Transport Authority, express the malaise that reigns in the company.
This Thursday’s strike will be closely followed. Half of the metro lines will be closed. Only fully automated lines 1 and 14 will run normally. Five lines will be completely closed (2, 8, 10, 11 and 12), the others only running at peak times, with a severely degraded service. The situation will not be better on the RER A where one in three trains will run on average. On the RER B, the frequency will be every other train. At the SNCF, on the other hand, the movement promises to be much less followed.
A strong push behind which hide several claims. Salaries first: all the unions (CGT, FO, Unsa, Solidaires) are demanding significant increases to deal with national inflation that exceeds 6%. And then the opening to competition scheduled for 2025 worries employees. The number of resignations jumped 45%; job abandonment is on the rise.
Understaffed
Metro and bus drivers are understaffed due to recruitment difficulties and an explosion in absenteeism. And that results in unreliable, less well-regulated transport. Daily users realize this with particularly overloaded metro trains at rush hour.
Île-de-France is not the only area concerned. In Grenoble, bus and tram drivers have been on strike for six days. In Marseille, black Thursday announced. Here again, the unions denounce the working conditions which have deteriorated.
► To read also: Since 9:10 a.m. this Friday, women have been working for free, and wage inequalities are still stagnating