Among the announcements on the organization after May 11, Édouard Philippe announced the plan to resume transport with respect for barrier gestures and social distancing. Measures “not feasible” and “impossible”, according to the CGT and the UNSA, the two unions of the RATP.
- From May 11, it will be necessary to respect strict rules in public transport
- According to several unions, respect for social distancing will be impossible there
In his speech before the National Assembly this Tuesday, April 28, Édouard Philippe mentioned the resumption of transport, essential to support the gradual return to work. Transport will not be exempt from respecting barrier gestures and physical distancing, materialized by the condemnation of one seat out of two or even markings on the ground on the platforms and in the wagons. A map “very ambitious” but “impossible” in terms of staff for Baptiste Arsale, secretary general of the Unsa Transports federation, questioned on France info.
The workforce in question
The expected influx of travelers makes respect for barrier gestures, according to the CGT and Unsa, the two main unions of the RATP. “People are going to want to go out anyway. There are those who will be constrained by their professional activity, but there will also be fellow citizens who will use transport, including perhaps even students who will have to travel”, says Bertrand Hammache for the CGT. This expected reality leads the unions to think the Prime Minister’s desires for transport are unrealizable. “I don’t know who whispered this idea to the Prime Minister, but someone who has already taken public transport, in this case Parisians, has understood that this kind of device is almost impossible to implement. . Impossible”believes Bertrand Hammache.
The other black spot regarding the resumption of public transport, and in particular the metro, is that of the work of RATP agents. The question raised by Baptiste Arsale is that of the sorting of travelers, “who will enforce them? Are they the RATP agents? We will necessarily also need the police, in particular to enforce the barrier measures”, he assures. He adds that among these agents, many are also parents. “If we are in a red zone and school is not taking place, how can we get to work if we have to babysit?”he asks himself.
The only way to overcome these uncertainties is to drastically increase the number of staff on the ground. “Already, to date, it is complicated and we do not enforce the barrier measuresobserves Bertrand Hammache. Tomorrow, we have to enforce them, so we take note of them and we have to have the right staff. That is to say an agent on each train, each bus, each tram, etc. It seems impossible to me today. We really need 100% or even 200% staffing.”
