strike on the Cergy-Pontoise bus network, it’s getting worse!

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From getting bogged down to getting worse. This Tuesday, November 26, the strike is still paralyzing the Cergy-Pontoise Confluence bus network, managed by Francilité Seine-et-Oise (Fso), a subsidiary of Lacroix & Savac, on behalf of Ile-de-France Mobilités (Idfm ). 32 lines frequented by some 80,000 travelers serving the former New Town, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and Achères. No vehicles are circulating.

“There was no violence”

Au 20^e day of a strike led at the call of Fo by bus drivers who denounce a deterioration in their working conditions and are fighting to maintain social gains obtained during the time of Stivo and Transdev, tension rose a step between unions and management. Both parties blame each other for the failure of the negotiations. Talks which stumble on the replacement agreement setting out the organization of work and employee bonuses. The meeting on Monday, November 25 was cut short. The unions left the negotiating table for lack of proposals from management which, for its part, points to “Fo's desire not to negotiate anything”.

A few hours earlier, in a press release addressed to the press, the management of Fso accused “the Fo representatives of moving towards a violent and threatening attitude. » Friday November 22, a meeting between unions and management, organized by the mediator appointed by Idfm, would have, according to Fso, degenerated. “The unacceptable happened at 7:45 p.m. requiring the intervention of the police to exfiltrate the director. When the latter left the site, acts of violence and serious threats were noted. Verbal and material violence was noted (eggs thrown at the vehicle, people lying on the ground to prevent it from exiting, and even gasoline on fire). Even more intolerable, threats against his physical integrity were made. This results in a 21-day Itt for the director, accompanied by a filing of a complaint. »

“This climate of violence is unacceptable, as is the exploitation of this local conflict by local and national elected officials for political purposes,” insists the carrier. Beyond the demands to preserve the achievements, Fo issues a list of demands whose amount per year exceeds 2 million additional charges. Not sustainable for public funds. »

In the strikers' camp, these accusations are rejected en bloc. “There was no violence, no ignited gasoline cans, only two eggs were thrown… The director was simply asked to come and explain himself to the strikers, which he refused to do. 21 days of Itt? He needs to give us the address of his doctor…” replied, this Tuesday, November 26 in the morning, Cyrille Mauger, Fo union delegate. Among the strikers, management is criticized for playing “rot”. “It is only us who have proposed a replacement agreement, the management still refuses to present us with a contradictory agreement.” Some elected officials go further. In a letter addressed to Ile-de-France Mobilités, Eric Nicollet, Ps vice-president of mobility at the Cergy-Pontoise agglomeration, denounces “the lack of real desire on the part of Lacroix & Savac to find the conditions for lifting of the movement, preferring to play rottenness or resort to public force.”

Use of public force?

Dislodge by force the strikers who occupy the Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône depot: the threat is real. “The prefect told me that if the mediation did not move forward, he would enforce the court decision which aims to lift the strike picket,” says Aurélien Taché, the Lfi deputy for the 10th district. This is not the right way to do things, it will not solve anything, the drivers will continue to strike and the new hires will continue to look elsewhere given the working conditions. » “It wouldn’t solve any problem,” confirm the strikers. “The unblocking of the depots (that of Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône and that of Conflans, editor’s note) would ensure a level of supply of around 60% and in particular school services”, assures, for its part, Fso . This Tuesday, November 26, Aurélien Taché questioned the Minister of Transport in the National Assembly on the question of competition for the Cergy-Pontoise bus network “and the crises to which that leads.” The cause of all evils according to the parliamentarian.

A meeting is organized by unions, strikers and elected officials, including Lfi deputy Aurélien Taché, this Tuesday, November 26 at 8 p.m. at the union house, rue Francis-Combe in Cergy. The consequences of putting the Cergypontain bus network into competition will be discussed. A support fund for the strikers is online on Leetchi.

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