Heckled return from the Grande Braderie de Lille. A call for a public transport strike, during the three days of the event, has been launched by three unions of the operator Ilevia, who are demanding better wages and working conditions, as they indicated on Thursday, at AFP.
The CGT, the CFDT and the CFTC call for “the strike on the weekend of the clearance sale from Saturday 3”, explained Mohamed Farhi, CGT secretary at Ilevia, the public transport network of the metropolis of Lille. About 1.5 million people are expected on the weekend of the sale (September 2 to 4). This giant flea market resumes after two years of interruption due to the Covid-19 health crisis.
Working conditions, deemed “appalling”
This event, whose origins obviously date back to the Middle Ages, transforms Lille into a gigantic flea market for a weekend, with around 5,000 vendors expected on the 75 km of streets in the city center, closed to cars from the Friday night.
The unions are calling for an increase in wages, estimating the loss of purchasing power “at more than 4.5%” due to inflation, explained Mohamed Farhi.
They are also asking for better working conditions, deemed “appalling with relentless productivity that endangers employees and users”, according to Ali Zelmati, secretary of the CFTC section.
Contacted by AFP, Ilevia indicated that he had “no indication” on the follow-up to this strike movement, the employees having “up to 48 hours before to declare themselves”
“Our surveys give returns of 50% in some units. If the metro has 50% of strikers, it will have great difficulty in running, “knowing that it must normally operate all day and all night on Saturday, said Anthony Kowalczuk, CFDT secretary.