The disturbances continued on Monday, while employees in strategic sectors for the economy have been called to strike for almost a week
The strikes continue, Monday, March 13, while the inter-union calls for an eighth day of mobilization, Wednesday. This date was not chosen at random, since it is the day when the joint committee must be held. Seven deputies and seven senators will try to agree on a final version of the pension reform project.
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In certain strategic sectors for the French economy, the employees were called to the renewable strike from Tuesday March 7th. Almost a week later, Franceinfo takes stock of the situations in public transport, in certain refineries or waste centers.
SNCF: traffic “clearly improving”, but still disrupted
All the unions of the SNCF called the railway workers, on March 7, to the renewable strike. Since then, rail traffic has been disrupted. Train traffic should be “in net improvement” Monday, the railway company stipulated, Sunday. The disturbances continue however, with three TGV Inoui and Ouigo out of five and with one TER out of two on average.
If the mobilization is down, the unions intend to continue the movement. While the pension reform has just been voted on in the Senate, the federal secretary of the SUD-Rail union, Julien Troccaz, calls for “to harden the movement” and talk about a “decisive week” before the final vote on the text in the National Assembly. “Our priority is to generalize the strike in this country from tomorrow [lundi]“he explained on Sunday on franceinfo.
For his part, the CGT-Cheminots de Versailles general secretary, Matthieu Bolle-Reddat, affirms on BFMTV that individual declarations of intent to strike will again be more numerous from “Wednesday”.
RATP: almost normal traffic, the unions call for a strike on Wednesday
The movement weakened on the rails of the Paris metro. The board had planned Sunday for normal traffic on almost the entire network on Monday. Only line 3 was to be disrupted, while three out of four RER A trains were to run, for two out of three on line B. The RATP expects identical traffic for Tuesday March 14.
In their joint statement of March 9, the RATP unions only called for a strike on Wednesday March 15. They thus follow the watchword of the national inter-union.
According to a press release from the RATP published on Monday, “traffic will be almost normal on thes networkx mretro, dranks and tramway. The traffic will be very disrupted on the RER network”.
Refineries: the movement continues in Donges and Fos-sur-mer
Strikes continue at several refineries. In Donges, near Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), the strikers at the TotalEnergies refinery see further. The CGT announced Friday the renewal of the movement against the pension reform project until Thursday March 16 at 9 p.m.
“If the movement were to continue and grow on the other platforms, and we call on our colleagues from other refineries, oil depots, steam crackers, the fuel shortage will inevitably be felt quickly”warned the CGT delegate, Fabien Privé Saint-Lanne on Friday.
In the Esso-ExxonMobil refinery in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône), the strike movement was also renewed on Friday afternoon, the employees having revoked the strike until Monday morning. Fuel shipments had partially resumed Friday morning, the group said. But the CGT had immediately denounced a “handling” on the part of management to encourage employees to return to work.
In the neighboring Lavéra refinery, the blockage was voted until Monday morning, said Sébastien Varagnol (CGT). Fuel shipments, on the other hand, resumed on Thursday at the Esso-ExxonMobil site in Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime).
Garbage collectors: waste accumulates in Paris, Nantes or Le Havre
Garbage collectors remain mobilized in several cities in France. In Paris, mounds of trash cans have formed. On the seventh day of the strike, 5,400 tonnes of waste had accumulated in the streets of the capital on Sunday, according to the town hall. Three incineration plants, those of Ivry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne), Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine) and Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis)are also at a standstill, explaining the overflowing trash cans in certain neighborhoods.
In its renewable strike notice, the CGT recalls that garbage collectors and drivers can currently claim retirement at 57, an age pushed back to 59 in the event of the adoption of the pension reform. “The vast majority of staff in the waste and water management have a life expectancy of 12 to 17 years less than all employees”assures the union.
In Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), garbage collectors have been on renewable strike since March 7. The three waste collection sites in the metropolis have been blocked since that date, according to France Bleu Loire Océan. Since Saturday, “nearly 3.5 tons of waste accumulate in the streets”, the radio reported on Monday. The metropolis of Nantes recommends that residents do not take out their trash cans.
In Le Havre, garbage collectors no longer collect waste since March 7, reports France 3 Normandy. While rubbish is piling up in the streets, the urban community of Le Havre has asked users not to put their waste outside until the situation resolves. The mobilization is maintained this Monday, March 13.