The words of Emmanuel Macron, this Wednesday, March 22 on TF1 and France 2, will in no way appease the anger of the French hostile to the pension reform. While the Head of State has expressed his wish to see the law applied from September 1, 2023, the strikers intend to mobilize for the ninth time, this Thursday, to make their voices heard. Sector by sector, here’s what to expect.
- Train and metro service “very disrupted”
This Thursday, it will be difficult to travel across France by train. SNCF plans to put half of the TGV Inoui and Ouigo into service, a third of the TER and none of the intercity trains, with the exception of two Paris-Clermont and Paris-Brive round trips. As for the transiliens, managed by the SNCF, it will be necessary to count one in two trains for line K and one in three for lines H, J, L, N, P and U.
Concerning the Paris metro, the RATP foresees very limited traffic on most lines, especially at peak times, with the exception of 7, 7bis and 9, which will run at the frequency of one train out of two, and 1 ,14 and 4, which are automatic. Plan, for example, one train out of three on lines 2,3,5,6,8,12, and closing no later than 8 p.m. Note that there will be only one in two trains for RER A and RER B, one in three for RER C and two out of five for RER D. Some stations will be closed. On the surface, and on average, 80% of buses and 90% of trams will run.
- 30% of flights canceled at Paris-Orly
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to cancel 30% of their flights this Thursday at Paris-Orly and 20% at other airports due to the air traffic controllers’ strike. The platforms affected by the removal of one in five flights will be: Marseille-Provence, Toulouse-Blagnac and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry.
- Gasoline: the situation is deteriorating
Deprived of public transport, the French might not be able to count on their car either. With 14.3% of service stations in short supply of at least one type of fuel on Wednesday, against 12% on Tuesday, the situation is getting worse. More than 7% of them are even dry, against 6% on Tuesday. Only one out of four TotalEnergies refineries is operating, while two are for Esso-ExxonMobil. However, shipments are blocked on these last two sites.
- Almost half of primary schools closed
Between 40 and 50% of primary school teachers will be on strike this Thursday, provides the SNUipp-FSU, the leading union in nursery and elementary schools. Strong mobilizations are expected in the Bouches-du-Rhône, in the Pyrénées-Orientales or even in Paris, where 70% of strikers are expected.
- Garbage collectors continue their movement
Particularly visible in the streets of the capital, the anger of the garbage collectors does not seem to be diminishing. The CGT voted to extend the strike until Monday, March 27. This Thursday, the 17th day of the garbage collectors’ strike, the incineration plants near Paris will be shut down. Currently, nearly 10,000 tonnes of waste litter the sidewalks of Paris.
