A cure for resignation. The RATP announced on Wednesday that it had signed an agreement with three unions – FO, Unsa and CFE-CGC – “to improve the quality of life at work” and experiment with the four-day week to build loyalty among Régie staff. due to an increase in departures.
The experiment with the four-day week began on January 18 and affects four lines – 5, 7 and 9 of the metro and RER B -, without reduction in working time. The system affects station agents, but not drivers. It provides for a weekly organization for managers and controllers with four days worked and three days off, with an increase in the daily work day of one hour and fifteen minutes.
Promote “loyalty”
The station and the station receiving agents will work following a cycle of four days followed by two days of rest, without an increase in the daily working hours. At the moment, 170 agents have volunteered to test the system during a first phase of 42 days, possibly renewable. The system will then give rise to feedback to know if it is expanded or not. Ultimately, five thousand officers could be affected.
The agreement includes other measures to promote “loyalty and attractiveness of the company”, according to RATP, which is facing staffing problems affecting bus and metro services. It foresees a “significant increase in our capacity to accommodate more employees,” said the group’s human resources director, Jean Agulhon.
To reduce travel time between home and work and “taking into account the price of real estate in the Paris region”, the RATP has set the goal of housing 1,200 families, compared to the current 860. It also plans to double the number of places offered in daycare centers for its employees, adapting schedules earlier in the morning and later at night.
“Table of declarations of intent”
Finally, the Régie will invest in 140 exoskeletons to equip twelve of its workshops and help in the maintenance of employees who occupy the most difficult positions. “The negotiation was long and demanding, we have been working on these issues for more than a year, so we are very satisfied to have been able to close this agreement,” Jean Agulhon congratulated himself.
Only the CGT-RATP (the group’s first union) refused to sign. “This agreement is a compilation of mandatory regulatory texts, from which management cannot escape. The rest is a bunch of declarations of intent,” the union reacted in a press release. RATP operates part of the public transport in Paris and its suburbs.
Source: BFM TV
