Paris (AFP)

The strike continued massively Monday in public transport in France, especially in Paris, causing more than 500 kilometers of traffic jams in Ile-de-France around 7:30, the start of a crucial week for pension reform whose detailed content is due on Wednesday.

While the traffic SNCF and RATP remains very disturbed since Thursday, day of massive mobilization against the "universal system" of retirement wanted by Emmanuel Macron, a black Monday draws itself because of the expected affluence in stations and stations.

SNCF states that it insures "between 15% to 20%" of its usual traffic, ie a TGV and a Transilien (RER SNCF and suburban trains) out of five, three TER routes out of ten (mainly provided by bus), an Intercity train on five and one international traffic "very disturbed".

RATP reported on its side of a traffic in the Paris area "extremely disturbed", with nine lines of metro closed sixteen Monday, and an extremely reduced traffic for six others. Following a "technical incident", the traffic was also interrupted on part of line 4 and was not to resume until 9 o'clock.

Seven of the 25 "bus centers" of the RATP were blocked Monday morning by strikers, only one third of the buses circulating accordingly against the half scheduled for Sunday night by the independent control, said a spokesman.

As a result, many users have resolved to drive: nearly 550 kilometers of traffic jams were recorded Monday around 07H40 on the roads of Ile-de-France, according to the Sytadin road information website

"We will see an improvement, however there will be many more people, so there is a risk of saturation on the stations and on the platforms," ​​warned Agnès Ogier, director of communication of the SNCF, inviting "all those who can to limit their movements by train ".

The prospects are not better for Tuesday given the second day of inter-professional mobilization, at the call of inter-union CGT, FO, Solidaires and FSU.

To facilitate the journeys of the Parisians, vehicles carpooling (at least three people) were allowed Monday to circulate on the lanes of buses and taxis on the "major roads that arrive in Paris", from 05H00, but not in the capital, according to Minister for Environmental Transition Elisabeth Borne.

- Where is the exit? -

Under pressure after a mobilization Thursday that threw over 800,000 protesters on the street, the executive must lift the veil on a pension reform still fuzzy.

It defends a "universal system" by points supposed to replace from 2025, or a little later, the 42 existing regimes (general, civil servants, private, special, autonomous, complementary) and to be "more just", when its opponents fear a "casualization" of pensioners.

Emmanuel Macron and Edouard Philippe have invited the ministers most concerned by the reform and the leaders of the majority to a "lunch calibration" Monday at the Elysee. In the afternoon, High Commissioner Jean-Paul Delevoye receives, alongside Solidarity Minister Agnès Buzyn, the social partners to "draw conclusions" of the dialogue revived in September. Then the Prime Minister will present, Wednesday, "the entire project" of reform.

This plan carries "an ambition of rescue of the French social system, and not at all of dismantling as it could be caricatured", affirms the entourage of the head of the State.

"We can provide extremely positive responses for many people who suffer injustices in the current system: women, farmers, and those with hacked routes in particular," said Philippe.

Same determination among his opponents. "We will keep until the withdrawal" of the reform, in which "there is nothing good", warned the general secretary of the CGT Philippe Martinez.

"I will not negotiate the implementation of what I call (of) monster, (of) danger for the pensions of tomorrow," said the number one Force Ouvrière, Yves Veyrier.

Will the government give pledges to union opponents who have regained color? "I do not think it is with the CGT that we will find the way out of this conflict," said Elisabeth Borne.

The government must in any case show pedagogy to respond to the concerns expressed by many professions called to mobilize again Tuesday. Among them, teachers, who fear that their pensions fall with the new rules: to avoid it, the Prime Minister has already committed to a "gradual upgrading" of their treatment.

The executive has already incorporated the fact that the discussion will continue beyond Wednesday, says Matignon. And the mobilization?

© 2019 AFP