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Paris Metro returns to near-normal service as union ends pension strike after 46 days

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
Paris Metro returns to near-normal service as union ends pension strike after 46 days
Photo: AFP

After more than six weeks of disruption, public transport services in Paris returned almost to normal on Monday after the biggest of the city's transport unions called off the strike action.

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The Unsa union, which has the largest membership among employees of the RATP Paris transport network, announced over the weekend that it would be suspending its strike from Monday - 46 days after it first began unlimited action against plans to reform the French pension system.

Although some other unions, including the hardline CGT, are continuing the strike, the return of the Unsa members was enough for RATP to offer a near- normal service on Monday, to the relief of weary Parisian commuters.

On the Metro only one line - line 13 - was not offering all-day services. This line is running from 5.30am to 11.30am and 2pm to 11.30pm.

All the other lines are running all day but some - lines 3, 4, 5 and 12 - have fewer services than normal.

Lines 1, 2, 3bis, 7bis, 9, 10, 11 and 14 are running as normal while lines 6, 7 and 8 are 'quasi normal'.

On the trams and buses all services are normal and RER line B - which connects Paris to its two airports - is running all day but with fewer services than normal.

On the railways too things are running fairly close to normal, with all services running on the high-speed TGV and the budget Ouigo services. 

 

On the local TER trains service is described as 'quasi normal'.

There is still disruption on some routes, however, with eight out of 10 of the normal services running on Intercité routes and on the suburban Transilien trains which serve the wider Paris region.

Talks are continuing between the French government and unions in an attempt to put a complete halt to the strikes which were called on December 5th and for several weeks paralysed transport services across France, disrupting thousands of Christmas breaks.

Throughout the week there will continue to be localised strikes and protests over the government's plans to do away with the 42 different 'pension regimes' that France currently has and replace them with a single universal pension.

 

 

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Anonymous 2020/01/21 12:04
Why would they want to get rid of unions?
Anonymous 2020/01/20 10:57
How do the French get RID of the unions? <br />Or are they indirectly government run (from the inside)<br />

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