Putting “France on hold”: this is the objective of the big day of mobilization against the pension reform this Tuesday. Truckers deployed filter barriers on Monday morning, adding to the expected disruptions in transport. SNCF and RATP have warned that traffic will be badly affected. Production cuts continue in the electricity sector, the movement of which began on Friday. Update on the main mobilizations expected.
Transport: “Very disturbed” traffic at SNCF and RATP
The truckers joined the movement, some unions like Force Ouvrière-UNCP calling to mobilize from Sunday evening: filter dams caused slowdowns and traffic jams near Lille or Rouen from Monday morning.
SNCF and RATP announced Sunday a circulation of the TGV and TER “very strongly disturbed” Tuesday, and “very disturbed” in the metro and the RER in Ile-de-France. Only one train in five will run for the TGV Inoui and Ouigo, the same for the TER, and two trains out of three on average on the international Thalys and Eurostar connections.
Traffic will be almost at a standstill on the Intercités and many disruptions are to be expected on the Transiliens, with between one train in three and one in ten depending on the line. In Paris, metro traffic will be restricted on most lines, mainly at peak times, except for lines 1, 14 and 4. The RERs will have between one train in two and one train in three on the RATP side, and between one in three and one in five on the SNCF side.
In the air, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has asked companies to reduce their flight schedules on Tuesday and Wednesday, by 20% at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and 30% at Paris-Orly , Beauvais, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice and Toulouse.
Air France plans to operate nearly 8 out of 10 flights, including all of its long-haul flights, without excluding “last minute delays and cancellations”. The garbage collectors, who depend in particular on the transport branch, are called to strike renewable Tuesday, by the CGT.
Industry and energy: Refineries want to “block the whole economy”
In energy, the movement started Friday afternoon at the call of the CGT, due to the vote on Saturday evening by the Senate of article 1 of the text on the abolition of special pension schemes, including that of energy companies .
Production cuts still affected many plants on Monday. Sunday, they reached more than 5,000 megawatts on nuclear and thermal power plants, the equivalent of five nuclear reactors.
On Tuesday, the general assemblies could locally decide on a “recovery of the network” without causing a loss of power, but by removing from the hands of the RTE network manager the possibility of controlling the machines remotely, the CGT told AFP. -Energy, which promises “a dark week”.
“The goal is not necessarily to reach users, but to show that we are present everywhere, that the system is in difficulty and that we are waiting for a response from the government,” said the union.
In the refineries, the CGT has also called for a renewable strike with the aim of “blocking the entire economy”, in terms of production, distribution and fuel importation. Initially, the strikers intend to block shipments from refineries to depots. If the movement were to last, it could lead to the shutdown of refineries.
The entire oil and chemical sector is called upon to strike, including in the pharmaceutical sector, and among refuellers, responsible for supplying aircraft with fuel. New in the industry: the call to strike in the whole of the metallurgy and in particular among the giants of the aeronautics, automobile and steel sectors. The branch union hopes to see the movement renewed.
Education: 60% of striking teachers expected in primary
The Snuipp-FSU, the leading primary union, predicts that more than 60% of primary school teachers will be on strike on Tuesday, in nursery and elementary schools. Conversely, no figures expected for colleges and high schools, secondary school teachers not being required to declare themselves 48 hours before.
The seven main teachers’ unions have called for “total closure of schools, colleges, high schools and services” on March 7. Sporadic blockages by high school students are also expected. Same in the faculties. Student and high school organizations have called for “hardening the movement” against the reform with a day of youth mobilization on March 9.
Trade and construction: Uncertain mobilization
The CGT construction and trade federations have joined the CGT’s interprofessional call for a renewable strike. Mobilization looks uncertain in these sectors. In the building sector, by the very admission of its CGT federal secretary, Jean-Pascal François, it is “more difficult” to mobilize on pensions than on salaries.