Three unions of the operator Ilevia launched a strike call in public transport during the liquidation of Lille, demanding better wages and working conditions, they told AFP on Thursday.
The CGT, the CFDT and the CFTC call “the strike on the liquidation weekend starting on Saturday the 3rd,” Mohamed Farhi, secretary of the CGT in Ilevia, the public transport network of the Lille metropolis, explained to AFP. About 1.5 million people are expected the weekend of the sale, which resumes after two years of interruption due to Covid.
This event, whose origin dates back to the Middle Ages, turns Lille into a gigantic flea market for a weekend, with around 5,000 vendors expected in the 75 km of streets in the city center, closed to cars from Friday in the evening.
Salary increase
The unions are calling for an increase in wages, estimating the loss in purchasing power “at more than 4.5%” due to inflation, Mr. Farhi explained. They also ask for better working conditions, considered “dismal with relentless productivity that endangers employees and users”, according to Ali Zelmati, secretary of the CFTC branch.
Contacted by AFP, Ilevia said that he had “no indication” about the follow-up of this strike movement, since the employees had “up to 48 hours beforehand to declare themselves.”
Source: BFM TV
