November 5 strike in Picardy, Digi Mart USA News (Picardy, France): A broad coalition of unions has called for a mobilization on Thursday, November 5, across France and in Picardy. The intersyndicale is urging workers to take to the streets “for wages, public services, employment and industry.” Several rallies are planned in the region’s three departments.
In the Somme, gatherings are scheduled for 10 a.m. on boulevard Vauban in Abbeville and 2 p.m.
from the maison de la culture in Amiens. In the Oise, rallies are set for 10 a.m.
in Compiègne (cours Guynemer) and 2 p.m. in Beauvais, at place Jeanne Hachette.
In the Aisne, numerous rallies are planned, beginning at 10 a.m. in Chauny and Laon, and continuing through the afternoon in Hirson, Soissons, Saint-Quentin and Château-Thierry, according to the CGT’s website.
These actions follow several weeks of mobilization, first led by high school students, then joined by university students and civil society. Significant demonstrations were recorded in October in Amiens, with several thousand protesters on October 17 and October 24, in organized and declared marches led by unions.
Education is expected to be among the most affected sectors. Teachers’ unions are calling members to join the marches, and the Snes-FSU, the largest union in secondary education, has urged its members to “gather, in large numbers, in the strike and in the street.” Periscolaire services, including in small communes, are also likely to be affected.
In Gamaches, the intercommunal union said all periscolaire staff are on strike, so canteen and after-school care will be suspended that day, and no children can be accepted during periscolaire hours. In Flesselles, no morning or evening periscolaire care is planned, and primary school canteen service will not be provided, although the nursery school canteen will operate.
Early childhood care may also be disrupted. The city of Amiens has informed parents of “risks of disruption” at crèches.
On the railways, the four main SNCF unions have called for a strike: the CGT, Unsa Ferroviaire, Sud Rail and CFDT. They are demanding “the opening of negotiations on living and working conditions” and “real wage negotiations.” SNCF expects TGV traffic to be “slightly disrupted” and most other lines to be “disrupted,” it said on Tuesday evening, adding that regional data will be known on Wednesday.
Strike notices have also been filed at airports, with disruptions to be confirmed Wednesday.
Corolis, the public transport network of Beauvais, has warned that “disruptions are likely to affect the Corolis network” on Thursday. In Amiens, the Ametis network told ICI Picardie that a strike notice was filed by the CGT but that there will be no disruption: “the network will operate normally,” except for detours caused by the demonstration route.
