Recently, a new argument has been circulating in political and union circles: the planned elimination of “small” lines and the reduction of night transportation, especially after 11 PM.
The Socialist opposition got involved by issuing statements of criticism and support for the protesters, including the UNSA union, which sent a letter to the President of the Metropolis, Christian Estrosi.
The elected official responded by denying that firm and definitive decisions had already been made, speaking more generally about a general review and announcing a “public consultation” for next November. To be continued…
However, in the meantime, management had submitted a timeline for eliminations and reductions to the works council (April 2016).
It is known that within this employee representation body, the CGT has a rather “consensual” attitude towards management (could the recent events of the Alonzo dossier at Semiacs explain this?), unlike UNSA.
The delegate of this organization, Jean Dessart, reported an exchange with the president of the Metropolis (October 20), in the presence of the Mayor of Nice, Philippe Pradal, and the former CGT transport secretary, Michel Ottobruc, who, after retiring, became a transportation security advisor (!), and described it in a report published on his union’s website as a “rebuke worthy of the last century.”
However, UNSA declares it will maintain union pressure “as long as this risky project to eliminate trams/buses after 11:10 PM is not definitively abandoned, because we cannot accept that with a surplus of 3 million in the 2015 fiscal year and very likely a larger surplus in 2016, we go against the freedom of movement for the elderly and those in remote areas, as well as for those who do not have vehicles, meaning the most vulnerable population.”
For now, the situation remains the same, although it is clear that the matter is expected to evolve.
The choice is simple yet difficult: cut expenses that do not yield economic returns or continue to provide a public service even if it is not profitable?
