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STRIKES

What disruption to expect from French pension strikes on January 31st

The final day of January marks the second - and almost certainly not the last - day of mass strike action in the ongoing battle between the French government and unions over pension reform. From planes and trains to school, ski lifts and power cuts - here's what to expect on Tuesday.

Published: 24 January 2023 16:24 CET
Updated: 31 January 2023 08:01 CET
What disruption to expect from French pension strikes on January 31st
Demonstrators, including one holding a placard reading "Metro, work grave", march in protest at plans to reform the pension system. Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP

Unions have promised the ‘mother of all battles’ against Emmanuel Macron’s plans to reform the French pension system, including raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

5 minutes to understand French pension reform

However, the action for the moment is mostly concentrated into a series of one-day actions – the next ‘mass mobilisation’ is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st. It is supported by all eight French trades union federations, which means that support is likely to be high and disruption severe on certain services.

Workers in essential services such as transport must declare their intention to strike 48 hours in advance, allowing transport operators to produce strike timetables, which are usually released 24 hours in advance. We will update this story as new information is released.

Trains

Rail unions are strongly backing the action, and on average only one in three of the normal TGV services will run on Tuesday, with just one quarter of services in the south-west. Intercité services will be halted entirely with the exception of three return services (Paris-Clermont, Paris-Limoges-Toulouse and Bordeaux-Marseille) while only two in 10 of the local TER services will run.

As for specific TGV lines, services in the north of the country will run 2 trains out of 5; services in the east will run 1 train out of 2; services in the west will run 1 train out of 4; services in the south east will run 1 train out of 2; and OUIGO services will run 2 trains out of 5.

International trains will also see heavy disruption with around one in four of normal services running, with the exception of the Thalys service to Belgium and the Eurostar.

SNCF also said on their website on Monday that Lyria (lines connecting France and Switzerland) will be “heavily disrupted”. You can see updated information on the SNCF website here.

Eurostar has cancelled seven services – three from London to Paris, three from Paris to London and one from Brussels to London – but all other trains will run as normal. 

Some unions have also filed a provisional strike notice running from 7pm on January 25th to 8am on February 2nd, with the option of a renewable strike after that – however it is not yet known how well supported this action will be. 

City public transport

Paris’ RATP network has released its provisional strike timetable, showing that most of the city’s Metro lines will only be running during rush hour, and with a limited service. Around half of the normal services will run on RER lines A and B, eight in 10 of the usual bus and tram services.

You can find full detail of the services in Paris HERE.

Other cities including Marseille, Nice, and Lyon will likely see a repeat of severely disrupted bus, tram and Metro services.

In Nice specifically, the tramway will not be operational on Tuesday. As for Lyon, the Metro B will not run, and other services will be disrupted.

In Marseille, Metro line 1 will not run all day, and on Metro line two will run every five to ten minutes. The tramway T3 will not be operational either. 

According to France Bleu, tram services in Nantes will run every six to eight minutes, with only a little more than 10 percent of bus and tram drivers will be on strike.

Air travel

One of the unions representing air traffic controllers has called for strike action on January 31st, however this will only affect flights arriving or leaving from Paris Orly airport. The civil aviation authority has specified some cancellations of flight arriving or leaving Orly between Monday evening and 6am on Wednesday – anyone with a flight booked at this time should check with their airline. 

Air France announced on Monday that it expected one in 10 of its short to medium haul flights to be cancelled on Tuesday due to strike action. The company said that it did not expect the strikes to cause any cancellations for long-haul flights.

The airline said that those whose flights are cancelled may be eligible for credit or full refunds. Air France is also offering to no-fee postponements for travel until February 7. Customers were advised to check their flight status prior to leaving for the airport via the Air France app or website.

Ports

The CGT union representing port and dock workers are also set to walk out on January 31st, but have filed a strike notice running from January 26th. Full details of their action are yet to be clarified, but this is likely to affect commercial ports rather than ferry ports. 

Schools

The major teaching unions have called for another 24-hour walkout, so some schools are likely to close. The January 19th action saw roughly half of teachers across France walk out.

The main teachers’ union Snuipp-FSU said on Monday that around half of all nursery and primary school teachers would be striking.

Ski lifts

The two unions that represent more than 90 percent of workers in ski resorts have called an ‘unlimited’ strike beginning on January 31st. So far Tuesday is the only confirmed strike day, but others could be announced. Strikes in ski resorts generally mainly affect the operation of ski lifts.

Petrol stations

The hardline CGT union has announced extra strike dates for workers at oil refineries, and also threatened blockades. This can result in shortages at petrol stations as supplies of petrol and diesel are blocked from leaving the refineries and reaching filling stations.

The head for the CGT union representing refinery workers, Eric Sellini, told Le Figaro on Tuesday that approximately 75 to 100 percent of workers in TotalEnergies’ primary four oil refineries – the Normandy refinery, Feyzin refinery in Rhone, Donges refinery in Loire-Atlantique, La Mède refinery in Bouches-du Rhône, and in  the fuel depot of Flanders in the north – planned to mobilise against pension reform.

Power cuts 

CGT members working in the state electricity sector have also threatened more ‘direct action’ including power cuts to selected towns. This is not a legitimate strike tactic – in fact France’s labour minister says it is “a criminal offence” and will be punished accordingly – but it could happen nevertheless. CGT members could also be taking action on January 27th and February 6th, 7th and 8th.

On January 19th two towns – one in the greater Paris region and one in northern France – lost power for a couple of hours in what was described as a deliberate cut. The union says it intends to target towns that elected MPs who support the pension reform.

Mairies

The Communist leader Fabien Roussel has called on town halls to close on Tuesday in ‘solidarity’ with the strikes. The decision is down to each individual commune, but in Paris the mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced that the mairie will close for the day, so you won’t be able to keep administrative appointments, although city services like bin collection will run as normal.

Demos

January 31st will also see another day of marches and demonstrations in towns and cities around France. On January 19th more than 1 million people took to the streets and unions will be hoping for a similar turnout on January 31st.

One feature of the demos on January 19th was the comparatively large turnout in smaller French towns that usually do not see large demos.

Other strike dates

The above information relates to January 31st only, and services before and after this date are expected to run as normal.

Some unions, however, have declared ‘unlimited’ strikes, so there could be disruptions on these services on other days – these include ski lift operators, truck drivers and oil refinery workers.

It is highly likely that further one-day or multi-day strikes will be announced for February and March, as the pension reform bill comes before parliament, you can keep up to date with out strike calendar HERE.

We will update this article as more information becomes available, and you can also keep up with the latest in our strike section HERE.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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