Strikers on public transport in Geneva renew their movement on Thursday

This decision was made at a meeting in the afternoon by members of the Transportation Employees Union (SEV) and Transfair. The strikers have been demanding 1.2% of their wages since January. In light of the difficult financial situation of the independent public company, its board of directors decided to award an index of 0.6% since September and one bonus of 400 francs.

TPG management denounced the renewal of the strike. She said the agreement signed in 2018 with the social partners required a ten-day period to allow the establishment of a minimum service. Therefore, the network will be severely disrupted on Thursday. On Wednesday, regional and cross-border offerings were emphasized, while urban offerings were reduced, according to TPG.

>> Read also: Geneva celebrates the day of public transport and government strike

wedges in warehouses

In order to provide minimal service, TPG has put about 180 buses and trams on the network overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Volunteer drivers were brought to the scene to take the wheel. A position denounced by SEV and Transfair, who believe it “made the situation worse than it improved”, both for users and for employees.

The movement began at dawn with sit-ins in front of the company’s three main warehouses in Bachet, La Junction and En Chardon, and in front of its headquarters in Vernier. They gathered about 400 people. SEV and Transfair were unable to determine the proportion of strikers among the 2,200 employees at TPG, including administrative staff.

>> Explanations on the forum:

Mobilization of civil servants

Civil servants were also mobilized in Geneva on Wednesday for their purchasing power, but also in order to maintain the services provided to the population. Given the convergence of the demands, the union cartel for state employees and the subsidized sector chose the same date set by the two TPG unions.

A resolution passed unanimously, with less than one abstention, in the afternoon during a meeting. Require an indicator salary of 3%. Olivier Baud, head of the cartel, said the Council of State rejects, and limits himself to 1.35% in the draft 2023 budget. “It opposes the public and private sectors. If our purchasing power decreases, the private sector will also suffer,” he said.

The employees are also demanding payment of the annual installment for 2023, written off three times over the past 10 years, and the preservation of 488 new jobs planned for next year in the state. The decision also called on the state to cover the increase in energy costs so that it is not compensated by a reduction in benefits or wages in the subsidized entities. The association added a request to index pensions.

>> Interview with State Counselor Natalie Fontanet at the Forum:

lack of staff

The majority of about 350 people who attended the meeting came from education. At the primary level, 52 schools were mobilized on Wednesday, while there were sit-ins in all orientation sessions. In addition, 20% of post-compulsory teachers participated in the movement, according to representatives of their unions.

Mobilization was less followed in some services, such as the security, health and social services, where a minimum service level is imposed. “Due to the small number of staff in custody, this service is a daily minimum,” said Mark Boddat, of the Police Force Staff Union. An identical certificate was given by a nurse at the University of Geneva Hospitals.

The mobilization day ended with a demonstration that brought together a thousand people. Departing from the vicinity of Cornavin station, it joined Place Neuve, passing by Rues-Basses. In the absence of progress on these demands, the mobilization could continue until the parliamentary debate on the budget in mid-December. A staff meeting is scheduled for November 8.

>> See also the 7:30 pm thread on the savings measures taken in other French-speaking cantons:

ATS / VAGO