The new CEO of the RATP, Jean Castex, received this Friday morning for the first time the trade unions. On the sidelines of this meeting, clashes took place between the police and demonstrators gathered near the Maison de la RATP (Paris, 12th arrondissement). “A woman was hit in the head with a truncheon and was taken care of by the firefighters”, according to Luc Auffret, a journalist who filmed the scene and tweeted the video.
On several images transmitted by unions to AFP, demonstrators try to force a cordon of police near the Gare de Lyon, on the sidewalk in front of the headquarters of the RATP. The security forces then respond with several blows of truncheons and use tear gas. A hundred demonstrators were present, according to an AFP journalist present on the spot.
In a press release published this afternoon, the FO-RATP union “strongly condemns the police violence that was launched against our colleagues today at the RATP house. The right to demonstrate is enshrined in the foundations of our democracy. Mr. Castex must quickly understand that the “Macron” methods have no place in our company”.
Unsa-RATP refused to go and meet Jean Castex as was initially planned. “While our new CEO boasted in the media this week about preparing to restore a calm social climate… funny start”, the union is surprised in its press release.
Salary negotiations this month
The former Prime Minister announced Tuesday in Le Parisien that he would meet the representative unions (CGT, FO, CFE-CGC) this week, before opening salary negotiations for 2023 in December.
Already on Monday, the gathering of maintenance workers in the lobby of the RATP headquarters had been tense. The latter have been multiplying walkouts since October 18 to obtain the return of a bonus of around 300 euros. Between firecrackers and smoke bombs, activists from the Solidaires union had tried to go up to the management floor to meet Jean Castex.
The RATP is facing many challenges such as the return to a normal offer on the bus and metro networks. The end of Covid-19 resulted in an increase in employee absenteeism, resignations and sick leave, resulting in a deterioration of service on bus and metro lines.