France’s main unions called for a general closure of transport, education, health and postal services across France on Thursday, with five metro lines closed in Paris and many others with reduced traffic.
Around 12 million people commute daily in the Parisian region on public transport and many media are already calling this Thursday “a black day”.
Not since the strike at the end of 2019, when transport in Paris was closed for more than a month, has a general strike unsettled the French capital so much.
To begin with, only two metro lines are fully operational, as they are automatic, while another five lines are completely closed and the rest only operate at rush hour, according to the French press.
Commuter trains will also have very limited circulation, as will surface trams. Only two out of three buses should circulate.
The workers of the RATP company, which manages public transport in Paris, ask for an increase in wages, as well as in the number of workers. The fact that the former French Prime Minister, Jean Castex, took over the management of this public company, as well as the intention to open the bus lines to competition by 2025, did not help the negotiations.
These stoppages in public transport also extend to Nice, Strasbourg and other French cities, where the increase in the cost of living has been felt especially since the start of the war in Ukraine.
As for long-distance trains, no major interruptions are expected, with some regional routes where the frequency will be reduced.
Behind this strike, the CGT, one of the largest unions in the country, continues to have demands such as the increase in the minimum wage to 2,000 euros gross and the indexation of wages to inflation, something that happened in France until 1983.
Another reason for this strike is the reform of the pension system, with the Government presenting its project at the beginning of 2023, the gradual increase in the retirement age being already certain until 2025.
As for the rest of the sectors, many school canteens are expected to close, as well as leisure activities in public schools, which allow French parents to pick up their children later. School transportation will also be interrupted.
Source: TSF
