2024 Olympics – A frosty welcome. On paper, the passage of the Olympic flame in the Nord department this Tuesday, July 2, has all the ingredients of a celebration: the torch must continue its journey from Avesnes-sur-Helpe to Lille, with events organized for the occasion and very enthusiastic torchbearers, such as comedian Dany Boon and footballer Raphaël Varane.
The journey of the Olympic flame day by day from Marseille to Paris, from May 8 to July 26
However, the arrival of the torch in Lille makes some residents cringe: the public transport unions. And for good reason: the agents of Ilévia, the company managing the Lille network, are still not sure about their Olympic bonuses, as reported The voice of the North.
The unions have been demanding this bonus since December 2023, to compensate for the vacation they will not be able to take this summer due to the Olympic Games. While negotiations are still stalling with management, the date of July 2 was symbolically chosen by the inter-union to call for a “massive strike” and demand social guarantees “up to the event”.
Tram, bus and metro disrupted
Lille residents can expect major disruptions this Tuesday in the metro, on the tramway, but also on bus lines. The frequency of the metros will be slowed down: a train will run every 2 min 30 during the day for line 1, and a train every 3 minutes for line 2, indicates the Voices from the North. On the bus side, more than ten lines will not run, and the tram will also be idling.
On the X platform (ex-Twitter), the CGT wishes ” Good luck ” in Ilévia which manages the two metro lines and the Lille tramway, as well as in Keolis, in charge of bus circulation. “Your contempt will have unprecedented consequences… Faced with what we are going through, employees are uniting to assert their right to recognition of the fruits of their work,” the union thunders.
More than a million spectators are expected in the Lille metropolitan area to attend the Olympic handball and basketball events. The CGT is demanding a bonus of 500 euros for all Ilévia employees, as well as a “mobilization bonus” of 50 euros per day worked for staff scheduled during the Olympic period, from July 27 to August 11.
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