Paris Metro strike called as workers battle for higher pay

Commuters in Paris face a transit strike next week as unions representing all city public transport workers call for a walk-out in a dispute over pay.

Published: 8 February 2022 16:19 CET

Paris Metro strike called as workers battle for higher pay

Workers on Paris Metro, bus and tram services will walk out. Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP

A joint statement from the CGT, FO, Unsa, Solidaires and La Base unions – all the unions representing workers at the RATP group – has called for a one-day strike on Friday, February 18th.

RATP covers all the city’s Metro, tram and bus services and some of the suburban RER trains. Other RER routes, and the regional Transilien trains, are run by SNCF so will not be affected by Friday’s strike.

RATP management has proposed a 0.4 percent pay increase, according to the statement, which the unions do not think is enough.

“The profits generated by RATP since 2015 exceed €1 billion. Those of 2021 will be around €200 million,” said the joint statement.

The hardline CGT union is demanding a three percent pay rise for its workers.

Workers in essential sections such as transport are required to give 48 hours notice if they intend to follow calls to strike. RATP will then use the advance notice to prepare a reduced timetable of services, which is usually published the evening before the strike.

Member comments

Anonymous - 11 February 2022 at 12:09 CET

While the ECB sits on its hands, here comes wage inflation. All so predictable.

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Once a preferred spot for gala premieres, the UGC Normandie was one of several grand cinemas on the Champs-Elysées that made the area a hub for film buffs in the 1960s and 70s.

But the street long ago lost its cool among Parisians, becoming increasingly dominated by flagship fashion stores and tourists taking snaps of the Arc de Triomphe.

The UGC cinema chain said it faced a “very sharp increase in rent” at the location, which is owned by the Qatari royal family.

Two other famed cinemas on the boulevard, the George V and Gaumont Marignan, have closed since 2020.

“The cinema is disappearing in somewhat terrible circumstances for the whole culture,” said a former employee, 22-year-old Yann Raffin, adding that he feels both “sadness” and “anger”.

“This avenue is transforming into an avenue reserved for the ultra-rich,” he told AFP.

The last screening on Wednesday night was “La La Land” with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, a fitting tribute to Hollywood musicals of a bygone era.

Its director, Damien Chazelle, appeared on screen with a special message for the sold-out crowd.

“This room was an extension of my own life, it was a friend and an ally,” said Mehdi Omais, 40, a film journalist, visibly moved.

“It’s heartbreaking to see it close and to see this avenue becoming a cemetery of cinemas.”

An auction of the chairs and decor was due on Thursday, including the huge letters on the outside, with proceeds going to a charity that organises screenings for hospitalised children.

Paris remains a film-going hotspot and still has more cinemas per head than anywhere in the world, with swanky new theatres opening elsewhere in the city.

They include a state-of-the-art Pathe cinema near the Opera Garnier, designed by architect Renzo Piano who created the Pompidou Centre and The Shard in London.