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IN PICTURES: How a Paris transport workers strike provoked travel chaos

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
IN PICTURES: How a Paris transport workers strike provoked travel chaos

It is predicted to bring the worst disruption to Paris in over a decade, and rush hour commuters have been documenting their attempts to get to work.

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All the unions on Paris' RATP public transport are taking strike action in a coordinated protest over plans for pension reform.

READ ALSO LATEST: Paris Metro strike 'worst disruption in over a decade'

Ten of the city's 16 Metro lines are not running at all, while services are badly disrupted on tram, bus and some RER suburban train services.

 

AFP

The services that are running are extremely busy as thousands of commuters try to get to work, and there is also very high demand for the city's bike sharing and dockless scooter services.

 

The one-day walkout has been sparked by French president Emmanuel Macron's plans to reform France's highly complicated pension system and standardise pension regimes.

 

This has provoked fury from unions, particularly in the transport sector where employees benefit from specific pension regimes that allow certain types of workers to retire on a full pension at the age of 55.

Unions say these generous arrangements are recompense for relatively low levels of pay, anti-social hours and shift work and exposure to pollution and chemicals in the course of their work.

While some Parisians shared pictures of horribly overcrowded trains and massive queues, others had snapped the eerily deserted stations where the lines were closed altogether.

And while there was frustration among commuters, many also expressed solidarity with the strikers in their efforts to protect pension rights for workers.

 

But there was frustration at prices being charged by Uber - where prices are linked to demand.

 

While others simply wished that 'flying Frenchman' Franky Zapata had got his hoverboard on the market.

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