During this new day of mobilization, which is anticipated to have fewer people participating than the previous one on October 18, there is not anticipated to be any disruption in transportation.
On Thursday, members of the CGT will once again take to the streets. A new day of strikes and demonstrations is being called for by the union as part of the continuation of the interprofessional mobilization for salaries that took place on October 18. Initiated by the CGT, FO, Solidaires, and the FSU, it was handed to Figaro Céline Verzeletti, who is the confederal secretary of the CGT. It is expected to have less of a following than the demonstration that took place on Tuesday. She notes that because they were going on vacation, they were aware that it would be more difficult to mobilize, but they saw October 27 as more of “a launchpad day for the future.”
Gatherings and demonstrations are still scheduled to take place in all four corners of France, but Céline Verzeletti admits that this number is “far smaller than normal.” According to the Ministry of the Interior, 107,000 people in France participated in the demonstration on October 18. Meanwhile, the CGT said that there were 300,000 people in attendance at the event. The confederal secretary is estimating that there would be 80 participants. According to Céline Verzeletti, “some will be organized in front of the prefectures, or in front of certain firms where there are mobilizations on wage concerns.”
Protests in the cities of Paris, Lyon, and Lille
At two o'clock in the afternoon, a protest will set off from the Montparnasse station in Paris. Gatherings or protests are also scheduled to take place in the cities of Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Montpellier, and Lille. The slogans for the day of action on October 18 have been retained in their current form. “According to Céline Verzeletti, “at the firm level, each union is asked to put up mobilizations on the grounds of this activity, to demand the quick initiation of pay discussions.” And on a national scale, the CGT continues to call for an increase in the value of the index point for city officials, as well as indexation of pay to the rate of inflation, and a hike in the minimum wage.
If all professional sectors are asked to mobilize by the CGT, then according to the central Montreuil, it will be of more significance in the sectors that are most at the forefront of the fight for wages. Céline Verzeletti mentions EDF and GRDF, in addition to refineries and the food industry.
We anticipate only a little, if any, interruptions to the transportation system. This market segment “emphasizes more on the mobilization of November 10,” the spokesperson of the CGT explains more specifically. That day's objective was “Zero metros, zero RER,” which was proclaimed by the inter-union of RATP drivers on Monday. Despite all, the CGT federation of railway workers asked the employees to participate in the events that will be conducted shortly “Thursday of this week. The SNCF, for its part, is making preparations for “normal traffic,” although the RATP has not shared its predictions for the flow of traffic with the public.
