STRIKE RATP. This Friday, March 25, 2022, traffic disruptions are expected in the metros, RER A, RER B, buses and trams managed by the RATP, due to a call for an indefinite strike to demand a wage increase.
[Mis à jour le 21 mars 2022 à 17h00] All of the trade unions (CGT-RATP, FO-RATP, Solidaires RATP, UNSA RATP, CFE-CGC Groupe RATP, La Base groupe RATP and CGT RATP) agreed during a meeting on February 25 to launch a call for an indefinite strike on the entire RATP network from Friday March 25, for “follow up on the strong mobilization of RATP agents on February 18 for salary increases, in the absence of a satisfactory response from management”, announces the site for social movements Balance of power. VSThis strike could be unlimited, specifies the union FO-Groupe RATP in a communicated : “Without major inflection of the company, March 25 will mark the beginning of a long and hard action for the public service”. “The form that the movement should take and the question of an indefinite strike will be discussed in the coming weeks with the employees and not decreed by the trade unions beforehand”, had warned however the general secretary of the CGT-RATP.
“If we have to leave in one movement, it will be unlimited. Punctual and beaded movements have little impact”, had already warned Bastien Berthier, metro driver of line 5 and member of the FO-RATP union, with BFM TV, after the dark day of February 18 when 80% of drivers went on strike in the Paris transport network. Metros, buses, trams, RER A and B were extremely disrupted, with 8 lines completely closed, stations closed on 6 other lines, and RERs and metros only running during rush hour. The scenario could be of the same ilk, but for several days, even weeks or months!
Users “have already experienced the health crisis, the disruptions that there are every day in transport. A renewed strike movement would be badly experienced”, for his part reacted Marc Pélissier, president of the National Federation of Associations of transport users, with BFM TV. But the anger of RATP agents has not subsided since RATP management closed annual salary negotiations as part of the Mandatory Annual Negotiations (NAO). The unions dispute the proposed wage increases, deeming the general increase of 0.4% insufficient while the RATP advances the figure of 2.7% average increase divided between categorical measures and individual advancement measures. “The mandatory annual negotiations are now complete” announced the management of the RATP, which announces that it will implement “the increase of +2.7% in average remuneration for the year 2022”.
What disruptions are expected during the RATP strike on March 25?
On Friday March 25, 2022, “the entire Paris transport network should be shut down by the double mobilization of RATP agents. Indeed, the strike still promises to be very strong in the metro part of the RATP and could become so among bus and tram drivers”.
The unions continue to demand a salary increase and believe that they have not won their case since February 18, the day of their previous mobilization, but also the first day of the annual salary negotiations within the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens. “Discussions are at a standstill. Management is irresponsible,” they lamented on February 18 after discussions with management. “Following the day of the 18th, when there were a lot of strikers, the management did not review its proposal”, had commented the metro driver of line 5 and member of the FO-RATP union Bastien Berthier, with of BFM Paris. “We are revolted by the contempt, all the unions agree. Today, that leaves management a month to review its copy and receive us”.
The trade unions dispute, with regard to inflation, a proposal for a salary increase from the management which is much too low, amounting to 0.4%. Ia CGT has demanded a 3% increase per year over the next 3 years. “The purchasing power of employees has melted in 10 years” protested Arole Lamasse, secretary general of UNSA-RATP, to Le Figaro. “Now, we see young recruits leaving after three months because they will earn more at McDonald’s”… For its part, the management of the RATP specified that the annual negotiations were “finished”.
Friday, February 18, the representative of the SUD Rail union Fabien Villedieu had declared at the microphone of RMC that the strikes would stop “from the moment we listen to the employees”. “There is a cold anger that is rising”, he added about “all the employees who were called second line employees, who were applauded a little in 2020, who were almost considered as heroes and who today feel like zeros”.
RATP strike: where to consult real-time traffic forecasts?
Disruptions will be announced at least 48 hours in advance here. Several tools are available on the Web to find out about upcoming traffic disruptions. To know the state of RATP traffic (metro, RER, bus, tram in real time), consult this page. For the RER, you can also follow the Twitter accounts @RERA, @RERB, @RERC, @RERD Where @RERE. To monitor train traffic in real time, visit the Transilien.