Pension reform: transport, education, garbage collectors ... What to expect on Wednesday?

Romain Rouillard with AFP 5:45 p.m., March 14, 2023

Opponents of the pension reform are again expected this Wednesday in the streets throughout France, on the occasion of an eighth day of mobilization.

According to information from Europe 1, between 650,000 and 850,000 demonstrators are expected to pound the pavement throughout the country.

Figures up from last Saturday when only 368,000 people had gathered.

While many sectors intend to continue the movement, the disruptions, particularly in transport, promise to be less penalizing than during the first days of mobilization.

Europe 1 takes stock. 

Transport: some disruptions at RATP and SNCF

Despite the renewable strike voted by the RATP and SNCF unions, traffic should be relatively undisturbed on Wednesday.

On the RATP side, the circulation of lines 1, 3bis, 4, 5, 6, 7bis, 9, 10, 11 and 14 will not be affected by the movement, as will the bus and tram networks.

Line 12, whose traffic will be normal in the morning, will see 1 train out of 3 run in the afternoon and only 2 trains out of 3 will run all day on lines 2, 7 and 8. Situation slightly more delicate on lines 3 and 13 with 1 train out of 2. Note that, on line 13, the service will only be provided between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. 

RER users will probably be the most affected by the degradation of service this Wednesday since only 1 out of 2 RER will run on lines A and B, throughout the day. 

[#MouvementSocial] Following a notice calling for an interprofessional strike day on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the #RATP is planning almost normal traffic on the Metro network and normal on the Bus and Tramway networks.

Traffic will be very disrupted on the RER.

pic.twitter.com/Dod83BIPLk

— RATP Group (@RATPgroup) March 14, 2023

For its part, the SNCF plans 3 TGV out of 5 on average and 2 TER out of 5 this Wednesday.

In Île-de-France, traffic promises to be disrupted with 3 out of 4 trains on line E of the RER and line P of the Transilien.

2 out of 3 trains are scheduled on RER C and lines H, J and L, and 1 out of 2 trains on the SNCF branches of RER A and B as well as on line N. Normal traffic on lines K and U, on the other hand As often since the beginning of this strike, the R line of the Transilien and the RER D will be the most impacted with on average 2 trains out of 5 only. 

National interprofessional social movement

The circulation of your trains will remain disrupted, Wednesday March 15, 2023, on the #Transilien lines.

As far as possible, we invite you to postpone your trips and encourage teleworking.

pic.twitter.com/HrGyN2vM9N

– Transilien SNCF (@Actu_Transilien) March 14, 2023

Finally, in the air sector, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) announced on Monday that it had asked airlines to cancel 20% of their flights at Orly airport this Wednesday due to a air traffic controllers strike.

During the previous days of mobilization, nearly 30% of aircraft movements had been impacted and the movement had also concerned airports located in the provinces.

Education: unions call for the movement to continue

In a press release published last Saturday, the unions FSU-SNUipp (nursery and primary schools) and SNES-FSU (colleges and high schools), called for the continuation of the strike movement against the pension reform.

On March 7, 32.7% of teachers were mobilized according to ministry figures. 

Garbage collectors: the situation should not improve

This Tuesday, the waste treatment sector of the CGT announced the extension of the strike of Parisian garbage collectors "at least until March 20" while 6,600 tonnes of waste were identified in the capital on the ninth day of the mobilization.

The three incinerators in the Paris region which process waste from the city of Paris but also from Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine and part of Val-de-Marne are still shut down.

>>

- Open-air trash cans: what health risks?

In the Alpes-Maritimes, the garbage collectors of the agglomeration community of Sophia-Antipolis have also renewed their movement, without giving an end date.

Same thing in Nantes where the CGT has even announced a hardening of the movement in the days to come. 

Refineries: the unions want to harden the movement but... 

Most French refineries were still on strike on Tuesday, but the strikers were reluctant to shut down the sites completely when stocks are almost full.

For several days, the oil unions have been proposing to the refinery strikers to harden the movement against the pension reform by stopping production, but the latter are reluctant to begin these technically delicate and long operations. 

>>

- "The people do not want this reform": in Haulchin, the employees mobilized to block the refinery

Nevertheless, the agents of the TotalEnergies refineries of Donges in Loire-Atlantique have already announced the renewal of their movement until Thursday 9 p.m.

In the refineries of Feyzin in the Rhône but also in that of Gonfreville-l'Orcher in Normandy, the largest in France, the blocking of fuel shipments for almost a week led to a saturation of the product tanks, risking require a production stoppage.

In these two refineries, the employees however continue the activity with "products which are not immediately marketable" because they "do not want to put the refinery at a standstill for the moment", detailed to AFP Eric Sellini , CGT coordinator for the group.