FEBRUARY 7 STRIKE. After January 19 and 31, will the strike of February 7, 2023 mobilize? Sector by sector, here is what to expect concretely.
[Mis à jour le 7 février 2023 à 00h01] It’s D-Day. On January 31, at the end of the second day of national strike against the pension reform, the inter-union, made up of the eight main French federations that are the CGT, the CFDT, FO, the CFE-CGC, CFTC, Unsa, FSU and Solidaires, had called for a new day of strike on Tuesday January 7, 2023. More than 240 demonstrations are organized across the country.
At this point, one thing is certain, according to a Toluna-Harris Interactive poll for RTL and AEF, published Monday evening, a majority of French people are still opposed to this reform desired by the government. In detail, 65% of French people would be against the pension reform project and 72% say they support the demonstrations. Note, however, that this is one point less than two weeks ago. There is also a slight increase in those who do not support the movement (24%, +2 points), even if they remain in the minority.
From the SNCF to the ski resorts via the refineries, the energy sector, the schools, the RATP or even the ports and the air sector, numerous disruptions are expected on Tuesday February 7. But will the mobilization be as successful as during the previous two days of strike? That is the question. In the meantime, here are the disruptions announced sector by sector.
All of the SCNF’s trade union organizations (CGT, Unsa, SUD-Rail and CFDT) called for a strike against the pension reform on 7 February. On the other hand, if the CGT and SUD-Rail called to continue the strike movement until February 8, the Unsa and the CFDT did not follow them. The mobilization of the railway unions is therefore uncertain concerning February 8, but SNCF traffic should be strongly affected the day before. This call to strike falls during school holidays in zone A and risks disrupting certain routes. SNCF has warned that train traffic (TGV INOUI, INTERCITES, TER, OUIGO, Transilien, TGV to Europe) will be “severely disrupted on Tuesday February 7, 2023”. You can find all of the SNCF traffic disruptions on February 7 in this article from L’internaute.
The previous strikes of January 19 and 31 accounted for 46% and 36.5% of striking railway workers respectively. In addition, the SNCF unions have not yet made any announcement regarding a new mobilization on February 11.
The RATP inter-union called for a strike on February 7 and 11. In a communicated common, the CGT, FO, CFE-CGC and Unsa called for mobilization to say “no to the reform”, because the special pension scheme for RATP agents is heavily threatened by it. The metro, RER, bus and tram lines are therefore likely to be affected, as was the case on January 19 and 31. The RATP has warned of “very disrupted” traffic, however the impact seems less significant than during previous mobilizations, in particular on some metro but the offer remains very slow. Here are the details of these disturbances in this article from L’internaute.
In other cities the transport network will also be slowed down. In Bordeaux traffic will be “normal” with the exception of a adjustment frequencies on two lines including Tram C with a frequency of 7 min 30 (15 min on the branches) and a wait of 2 min from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the lianes 1 buses. In Rennes, lines A and B of the metro do not will not be impacted, however some bus departures will be deleted. In Marseille, the RTM has also planned slowdowns in transport, giving traffic in retail, line by line. In Paris, the RATP announced measures to cushion these disturbances, carpooling offered to Ile-de-France residents.
To counter the big disturbances to come on the Lignes d’Azur network in Nice, in particular on the bus and tram lines, the town hall of the city has provided that parking will be free on the road on February 7.
After calling for a 72-hour strike in the refineries, the CGT finally opted for a 48-hour mobilization on February 7 and 8. Originally, the CGT had planned to stop production in the refineries during these strike days. But, for the moment, it is necessary to ”test [grèves] renewable” in order to “know if the employees are ready” for such a stop, told AFP Thierry Defresne, CGT secretary of the TotalEnergies Europe committee. On February 7 and 8, “what we will offer them for 48 hours , it’s ‘nothing goes in, nothing comes out’, as usual”, specified Thierry Defresne, adding that “the only impact on the work tool, it will be reductions in production flow but not a stop”.
The CGT Ports and Docks Federation is also calling for a 48-hour strike on Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 February. Tuesday January 31, the movement had been particularly followed, in particular in Le Havre where the CGT had identified 100% among the dockers of the port of the city.
The FNME-CGT (National Federation of Mines and Energy-CGT) has also called for a two-day strike on February 7 and 8 in companies in the electricity and gas industries. The strike movement had been less followed on January 31 than during the first day of mobilization at EDF, with 40.3% of strikers against 44.5% on January 19. During these strikes, striking employees in the energy sector multiplied the “Robin Hood” operations. Some production cuts had been announced, but the employees mainly distributed free electricity to certain establishments such as hospitals, schools or HLM housing. An initiative supported by the unions but also by certain political figures, like the communist Fabien Roussel.
Although zone A is on vacation on February 7, the primary school union, the Snuipp-FSU has called for an “amplification” of the protest movement. “The inter-union calls on the entire population to mobilize through strikes and even more massive demonstrations on Tuesday February 7 and then Saturday February 11 to say no to this reform” specifies the communicated of the union. The Snuipp-FSU recommends “multiplying actions, initiatives, meetings or general assemblies throughout the territory, in companies and services, in places of study, including through strikes”. Primary school teachers (nursery and primary) have the obligation to notify pupils and families at least 48 hours in advance of their participation in the strike movement. Colleges and high schools do not have the obligation to declare themselves.
The Union Syndicale de l’Aviation Civile-CGT, the leading union in civil aviation, said in a communicated that she would join the protest movement. “The Usac-CGT demands the maintenance of the current conditions of retirement for all the agents of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC)”, explained the union, which called “all the staff of the DGAC and the National School of Civil Aviation to go on massive strike and participate in the demonstrations” this Tuesday, February 7. The DGAC “has asked the airlines to reduce their flight program by 20% for the day of Tuesday February 7 at Paris-Orly airport” warned the union in a press release, thus one in five planes would be canceled.
The two main ski lift unions, CGT and FO, filed an unlimited strike notice which began on January 31. Tuesday, February 7, this strike of seasonal skiers is likely to affect holidaymakers above all. According BFM TV, a strike is planned “about 1:30 am in all ski resorts, and this, during school holidays”. Some shops will be closed and the ski lifts will not operate during this time. The Minister of Tourism, Olivia Grégoire, called for “respect for the economic players in the mountains who are fighting like lions to continue to attract tourists and develop their offers” and “for respect for tourists’ holidays”, reported TF1.