On his first day as the new president of the Paris Transport Authority (RATP), former French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Monday promised salary negotiations for disgruntled employees demanding better pay and working conditions.
Several hundred demonstrators turned out at the RATP’s headquarters near Gare de Lyon at 9am to demand that Castex “come down in person” to meet with transport staff – a protest called by the hardline CGT union.
The RATP runs the Paris metro as well as commuter trains and buses in and around the French capital, employing some 70,000 people in the Paris region.
Bus, metro and RER train drivers and technicians are demanding a salary increase, while those in charge of train maintenance are unhappy about the loss of a 100-euro monthly ”site bonus”.
Tensions en siège de la RATP.
— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) November 28, 2022
« Qu’il descende ! » crient les grévistes pour appeler Jean Castex à venir négocier en personne.
« On va aller le chercher ! » répondent les salariés. pic.twitter.com/UDPD4z1B6z
Soaring living costs
CGT-RATP union representative Faouzi Abou Rayan told CNEWS that a 2.8 percent wage increase over the summer was not enough to meet the demands of inflation and the high cost of living.
"It's starting to become critical," he said, adding that many workers were forced to live far from Paris, where housing is cheaper, incurring significant transportation costs themselves.
Unions say staff are also overstretched because of insufficient hiring, resulting in increased sick leave.
That has led to more service delays or lower frequency on busy metro lines in recent months, causing headaches for the system's roughly 12 million daily users.
Rolling transport strikes in December 2019 brought the French capital to a standstill.
It is hoped that Castex, who takes over as RATP boss following the surprise resignation of Catherine Guillouard, will be able to improve RATP services in the lead up to the 2023 rugby world cup and the 2024 Olympics.
