Opponents of the pension reform remain mobilized. If the participation aux grèves s’annonce en baisse ce jeudi pour la cinquième journée nationale de protestation contre le projet du gouvernement, des perturbaciones sont à prévoir essentiellement dans le transport aérien, les barrages électriques et certaines établissements scolaires dans les zones qui ne sont pas vacation.
The unions whose leaders will demonstrate in Albi this Thursday are specially reserved for March 7, having called the inter-union to “stop France” that day. Some confederations like the Union Syndicale Solidaires also want to launch a movement that can be extended from this date. The RATP unions have already announced it. The garbage collectors are also called by their CGT federation to go on a renewable strike starting on March 7.
• Air Transport
Unlike previous days of strikes, the disruption will be greater in the air than on the rail. On Tuesday night, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) asked companies to give up 30% of their flights on Thursday at the Paris-Orly airport, due to a strike by air traffic controllers. This is more than during the first three days of mobilization during which 20% of the movements had to be canceled in Orly.
And this time, other airports are affected such as Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseille and Nantes. The DGAC has required carriers to cancel 20% of their movements there. Disruptions and delays are expected across the country.
And this time, other airports are affected such as Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseille and Nantes. The DGAC has required carriers to cancel 20% of their movements there. Disruptions and delays are expected across the country. Air France said it was able to fly 9 of the 10 planes on Thursday on its short-haul and medium-haul flights and “all its long-haul flights.”
• Railway transport
As for land transport, the SNCF has announced that 4 of the 5 TGVs will be able to circulate, a notable improvement compared to previous days. On the other hand, regional TER traffic will continue to be severely disrupted with 1 out of 2 trains.
In Paris, the metros will work almost normally according to the RATP and the traffic will be normal for buses and trams. Some suburban trains will be partially interrupted, such as RER B, C and D, as well as some Transilien lines. Lines B and D, the most affected, will only have one in two RER.
• Energy
In the energy sector, the CGT, at the forefront of the extendable strikes from March 7, calls the strike on Thursday but “essentially” to ensure “participation in the demonstrations,” said Sébastien Ménesplier, general secretary of the CGT -Energy.
These production cuts, closely monitored by the network manager of high and very high voltage lines RTE, generally do not cause power cuts and mainly affect EDF’s finances.
As of Wednesday afternoon, numerous hydroelectric plants went on strike, in particular the most powerful in France, in Grand’Maison (Isère), leaving the equivalent of around 3,000 MW unavailable to the grid. Sébastien Ménesplier will himself go to the Gournay-sur-Aronde (Oise) gas storage site where the CGT intends to install filter dams as at five other storage sites, with no immediate impact on the general public.
• Fuels
On the refining side, those that are planned are also essentially “calls to participate in demonstrations”, indicated Éric Sellini, coordinator of the CGT of TotalEnergies. Only the biorefinery of La Mède (Bouches-du-Rhône) should suspend fuel shipments to depots, without threatening the supply of service stations.
• Education
The teachers’ unions do not communicate estimates on the rate of strikers expected in National Education during this period of school holidays in France (zones A and B are already on vacation and zone C will be this Friday night).
The Intersindical de Educación, which brings together the seven main teacher unions, nevertheless called for the “total closure of schools, colleges, institutes and services” on March 7 if the Government and Parliament “remain deaf” to the mobilization against pension reform. University campuses were closed Wednesday in Rennes, Nantes and Paris (Tolbiac-Université Paris 1) due to blockades by students or possible occupations.
Source: BFM TV
