France: Police and protesters clash in massive strike over Macron's pension reform
Commuters react to mass transport strike in Paris
- published: 18 Sep 2019
- views: 522
(13 Sep 2019) Tourists and commuters in Paris bore the brunt of a massive public transport strike on Friday as unions protested French government plans to reform the pension system. Paris public transport company RATP said ten metro lines were closed and several others, including the RER suburban rail, were severely disrupted. Buses and trams were also affected. Trains that were still circulating were noticeably less crowded than usual, as authorities recommended people living in the Paris region to work from home or choose other means of transport. Carine Mombo, a 28-year-old legal assistant, had to resort to rental bikes to get across town for work. The government website monitoring roads showed major traffic jams in and around the French capital. Laura Gross, a tourist from the US, said it took her over two hours to get into the centre of Paris as her accommodation was just outside the city. Another commuter said he usually took the tram and metro to work but opted for an Uber due to the strike. \"It took 40 minutes for the Uber to arrive. I had to share the ride and it took me an hour and a half to get here instead of 30 minutes,\" he added. RATP employees are protesting a pension reform planned for next year that is expected to make them work longer before retirement. RATP employees are among workers from some specific professions who benefit from a special pension scheme, currently allowing them to retire with a full pension earlier than most French people. Macron wants an overhaul of the pension system, saying the changes would make the public pension s...
Commuters react to mass transport strike in Paris
- published: 18 Sep 2019
- views: 522
(13 Sep 2019) Tourists and commuters in Paris bore the brunt of a massive public transport strike on Friday as unions protested French government plans to reform the pension system. Paris public transport company RATP said ten metro lines were closed and several others, including the RER suburban rail, were severely disrupted. Buses and trams were also affected. Trains that were still circulating were noticeably less crowded than usual, as authorities recommended people living in the Paris region to work from home or choose other means of transport. Carine Mombo, a 28-year-old legal assistant, had to resort to rental bikes to get across town for work. The government website monitoring roads showed major traffic jams in and around the French capital. Laura Gross, a tourist from the US, said it took her over two hours to get into the centre of Paris as her accommodation was just outside the city. Another commuter said he usually took the tram and metro to work but opted for an Uber due to the strike. \"It took 40 minutes for the Uber to arrive. I had to share the ride and it took me an hour and a half to get here instead of 30 minutes,\" he added. RATP employees are protesting a pension reform planned for next year that is expected to make them work longer before retirement. RATP employees are among workers from some specific professions who benefit from a special pension scheme, currently allowing them to retire with a full pension earlier than most French people. Macron wants an overhaul of the pension system, saying the changes would make the public pension s...
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