PARIS
\nCommuters and tourists faced serious travel disruption on Thursday as metro workers in Paris went on strike, with about half of the lines completely closed and most others operating at peak hours only.
\nThough the strike call was widely followed, there was no overcrowding in metro stations because many people chose to work from home. But for those whose physical presence was required at work, getting there was difficult.
\nCommuter Claude Miamo, a receptionist, said she had waited a long time to find a train to get into Paris, only to find her metro line closed.
\n\u201cI\u2019m going to take an Uber, it\u2019s an additional expense but I have no choice, I have to go to work.\u201d
\nVincent Gautheron, CGT union leader at Paris public transport company RATP, said the union wanted the company to bring forward wage talks planned for December, seeking increases that will compensate for inflation.
\nA Paris demonstration organised by the hardline CGT union attracted only a few thousand supporters, with most other unions staying away.
\n\u201cEmployers and the government only give to demonstrations and strikes. Talks and meetings produce no results,\u201d said Air France retiree and CGT union member Philippe Gaillard.
\nThe CGT had called on workers nationwide to walk off the job in a push for higher wages at time of record inflation and in protest against planned pension reforms.
\nBut the impact beyond the millions who use the Paris metro was quite limited. Other unions have not joined in after similar calls in recent weeks failed to gain much traction.
\nMurielle Guilbert, co-head of Solidaires, another union, said it did not join the call for a nationwide strike because it did not feel there was potential for a massive mobilisation over wages and preferred to focus on specific sectors.
\nA sector-specific, weeks-long strike called by the CGT at TotalEnergies ended with a wage agreement after fuel shortages at petrol stations.
\nThursday\u2019s walkout comes in a tense political climate as the French government, which lacks a straight majority in parliament, repeatedly used special constitutional powers to push through its 2023 budget bill without a vote.
\nUnions are also focused on President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s ability to pass pension reforms, which could trigger mass protests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS Commuters and tourists faced serious travel disruption on Thursday as metro workers in Paris went on strike, with about half of the lines completely closed and most others operating at peak hours only. Though the strike call was widely followed, there was no overcrowding in metro stations because many people chose to work from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-294683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n