Strike this Thursday in eleven bus depots in Ile-de-France

Difficulties are to be expected this Thursday in several Ile-de-France bus networks.

Employees of eleven depots *, a majority of which are located in Val-d'Oise, are called upon to strike.

And the unions expect nearly 80% of strikers among the bus drivers.

The strikers planned to converge on the headquarters of Île-de-France mobilités (IDFM), the organizing authority for transport in Ile-de-France.

But this was refused by the Paris police headquarters.

Pickets are nevertheless sometimes scheduled from 5 a.m. on the Lacroix sites in Beauchamp, Transdev in Magny-en-Vexin and Génicourt, at TVO Argenteuil as well as at Stivo, in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône.

In question: the opening to competition of bus lines in the outer suburbs required by the European Union for better efficiency and better quality of service, according to her.

To apply the European regulation, IDFM has therefore reorganized the bus lines in the outer suburbs of the Optile network into 36 lots open to competition since 2021.

All companies wishing to operate these lines can apply for each call for tenders.

Including those who already exploit them.

Except that in order to have a better chance of winning the bus line prizes, some operators are offering lower working conditions or wages.

Posted by Udcgt Valdoise on Tuesday, November 16, 2021

This is what the organizations FO, CFDT, CFTC and FNCR fear, at Stivo, whose network is the subject of a call for tenders.

They are therefore calling for an abandonment of calls for tenders and asking IDFM to include a social component in its specifications as well as a 10% increase in their salary.

This measure included in the program of Valérie Pécresse.

"People need to know how this competition is set up"

Their fears are based on the example of certain depots in Seine-et-Marne, already open to competition: "The drivers of Melun and Fontainebleau, passing through Transdev, have lost between 300 euros and 600 euros", points Cyril a depot driver.

Without touching their base salary, their new employer would have modified the payment of certain bonuses which can reach 30% of total compensation.

In addition, their hourly amplitude has increased.

“People need to know how this competition is set up.

It is certain that quality transport has to be paid for, ”he emphasizes.

And trade unions fear that with its small size, compared to other candidate companies, Stivo will lose its lines.

The result of the call for tenders is expected in December.

The drivers of Céobus in Magny-en-Vexin, already concerned, have been driving for Transdev Vexin since August 1. "And things are going very badly in terms of working conditions," deplores Hafed Guerram, CGT union representative. We are on an hourly amplitude of 13 hours. But we lost 500 euros on our pay slips. He promises that most of his colleagues will be on strike tomorrow morning.

At the Transdev Val-d'Oise (TVO) depot in Argenteuil, the employees already know that they will pass into the bosom of Keolis on January 1.

And they want to put the pressure: "We want to send a message: do not suppress our achievements and preserve our working conditions", explains Alexandre Benoit, Unsa union representative in this depot.

He also wants the employees excluded from the transfer to be able to be integrated into the new organization.

They fear for these twelve people a possible economic dismissal later.

Ile-de-France Mobilités, for its part, assures us that "we remain attentive to this situation but these are questions which come under the dialogue between employer and employee".

Similar movements in Seine-et-Marne

At the beginning of September already, Seine-et-Marne had experienced similar movements, which had spread within several bus depots in the department. Some depots have been on strike for six and eight weeks. And the drivers gave the same reasons. Overnight and while they had kept the same boss, some found themselves with degraded working conditions or wages. To the point that IDFM asked Jean-Paul Bailly, former director of the Post Office, for mediation. This is still ongoing.

The former boss must submit a report to IDFM.

The latter hopes to draw some leads to integrate in its future calls for tenders and avoid new movements.

At the same time, Transdev also seemed to have found local agreements with each of the Seine-et-Marne depots.

"But we are sitting on a powder keg and there is still a risk of going on strike again," warns Jamal of the South union.

In Vaux-le-Pénil, a social alarm has once again been filed ”.

Last step before the strike notice.

“We lost our working conditions.

We want at least to recover the same salary, ”he continues.

* including Stivo in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, Lacroix in Beauchamp, TVO in Argenteuil, Saint-Gratien, Genainville and Magny-en-Vexin, Keolis in Versailles, Keolis Meyer in Montlhéry and Transdev in Nemours.