Parisians and Londoners face similar chaos trying to get to and from offices on Thursday as public transportation workers strike to protest the rising cost of living.
In Paris, travel is completely interrupted on five metro lines out of 16, according to the website of transport operator RATP, which advised people to work from home if possible. There are significant disruptions on most of the other lines, RER commuter trains and buses. That, in turn, caused unusually long morning traffic jams in the Paris region.
Workers on the London Underground are also striking Thursday after talks with the city’s transport authority failed. Transport for London said the disruption, due to a dispute over jobs and pensions, was expected to last into Friday morning and recommended that people avoid traveling on the Tube.
Thursday’s stoppage is the latest of a series of protests pushing for higher wages. In France, strikes by oil refinery workers disrupted fuel distribution last month, causing shortages at filling stations across the country. Thousands of people joined demonstrations in Paris on Oct. 18 to demand a bigger share of corporate profits.
Londoners, meanwhile, have suffered months of strikes as workers fight for pay rises that keep up with inflation. This week’s walkouts by staff on the trains, which run overground, were called off as negotiations continue. The Underground’s strike has gone ahead.
Under Pressure
France’s RATP has also been criticized for reduced service levels on buses and some metro lines due to a shortage of workers.
Former Prime Minister Jean Castex, whose appointment as chief executive of RATP was approved by French lawmakers on Wednesday, says human resources will be a top priority as he takes up his new job.
“There’s a big problem of quality and continuity of service” at RATP, Castex told lawmakers during a Senate hearing this week. Still, “I wouldn’t want people to indulge in RATP bashing.”
In the UK, Transport for London is under pressure to cut costs following a funding agreement with the national government that leaves it with a budget deficit.
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