On line 6, operational only between Nation and Place d’Italie, the trains circulating were sparsely filled, many employees having obviously opted for teleworking or a day off before a three-day weekend due to November 11.

«Frankly it was,» said a woman, hurrying on the platform towards the exit. «It’s better than usual!» Rejoiced another.

Only fully automated lines 1 and 14 were to run normally, but with a «risk of saturation», according to the RATP. Five lines are completely closed (2, 8, 10, 11 and 12), the others only running at peak times, with a severely degraded service.

The situation is no better on the RER A where one train in three runs on average. On the RER B, the frequency is one train out of two.

At the SNCF, on the other hand, the movement supported by the CGT-Cheminots alone promises to be much less followed, with normal traffic on the TGVs and slightly disturbed on the Intercités.

On the TER lines, nine out of ten trains run on average and, in Ile-de-France, some disruptions are to be expected on certain Transilien lines.

– Pensions in the background –

All the unions (CGT, FO, Unsa, Solidaires) of the RATP have long called for mobilization to demand wage increases and improved working conditions.

The RATP, like other companies in the transport sector, suffers from chronic understaffing due to recruitment difficulties and is experiencing an explosion in absenteeism, particularly on its bus network.

Human resources will be «the first subject on the table» after taking office at the head of the RATP, Jean Castex insisted during his hearing on Tuesday before the Senate. The former Prime Minister promised the opening of salary negotiations «as of December 2022».

RATP agents have benefited from an average increase of 5.2% in remuneration this year, according to management.

Another reason for mobilization: the future pension reform with a possible postponement of the legal retirement age and the end of special schemes, says a source close to management.

It is a question of «showing that if we want to mobilize, we know how to mobilize», said Frédéric Souillot, secretary general of FO, on Wednesday, drawing a parallel with the day of September 13, 2019 which had preceded the great mobilization against the pension reform. of winter 2019-2020.

Frédéric Souillot must go alongside the RATP strikers in the morning. FO, the second union of the board, is the majority among metro drivers.

– Philippe Martinez in Nîmes –

On the other hand, he will not participate in the demonstration planned for the beginning of the afternoon in Paris, which is part of a day of national and interprofessional mobilization at the call of the only CGT decided recently.

FO, which had joined the mobilization day of October 18, at the height of the movement in the refineries, to protest against the requisitions, chose this time not to join the CGT, as well as FSU and Solidarity.

The previous day at the call of the CGT alone, October 27, in the middle of school holidays, had little mobilized: the police had identified 14,000 demonstrators in the provinces and 1,360 in Paris. The CGT had not given a figure.

On Wednesday, Frédéric Souillot castigated the multiplication of «leapfrog» demonstration days, believing that this strategy «not only is it counterproductive, secondly it does little to move things, thirdly it wears out the troops».

The authorities are betting on 40 to 50,000 demonstrators nationally, and «less than 5,000 in Paris».

The secretary general of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, will not be in Paris, having chosen to parade in Nîmes where he is traveling as part of the professional elections in the public service.