Paris transport unions to strike on 17 December

Five unions have called for a strike of the public transport network (RATP) services in Paris on Thursday to protest against the consequences the employees will have to suffer due to the state-owned operator opening to private competition from 2024. 

Five RATP unions have called for a strike on December 17. Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

According to the unions (Unsa, CGT, SAT, Solidaires and SUD), the decision will result in social setbacks for the employees in terms of working conditions, remuneration, increased working time etc. 

RATP's networks which include bus, metro and suburban railway services, have to be open to competition between 2024 and 2039, starting with the buses, for which calls for tenders should be launched "at the end of 2022  and beginning of 2023".

VOUS AVEZ DIT CONCURRENCE ! https://t.co/zY5npSXFM4

— CGT-RATP (@CgtRatp) December 8, 2020

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The strike was originally planned for November 19. However, due to the spike in Covid-19 cases and the second lockdown in France, the unions had decided to postpone the strike.

Meanwhile, RATP CEO Catherine Guillouard said on Monday that the strike will have no impact on the network.

"We are very confident for the 17th (December). We think that we will have normal traffic on the rail (network) and almost normal on the bus," Guillouard told the French radio station RTL.

She added that the RATP is working with the government to put in place conditions related to the competition which are acceptable to all the employees.