As the country prepares for an easing of its lockdown restrictions to commence on 11 May, France’s primary region, in terms of population and economic activity, is embarking upon a decidedly new approach that looks to being all the major transport stakeholders together including the State, Region, municipalities, employers’ bodies, and trade union organizations and to formulate conditions that will enable business to safely resume after the health-crisis lockdown is lifted including how to tackle the difficult issue of urban public transportation. On 06 May the stakeholders signed a document aiming to limit the use of public transport by encouraging companies to continue teleworking and to extend arrival and departure times in a bid to lower peak hour usage volumes. The document has no legal basis and depends on the stakeholders’ voluntary compliance. This text could provide fresh momentum to underpin regional economic and social dialogue, and even encourage other urban areas to embark on similar initiatives. This regional approach is indeed a break with what is known to be a centrally run country.
The Paris Ile-de-France initiative does not stem from any pre-existing forum for social dialogue but rather from the Covid-19 crisis and more precisely from the exchange and discussion unit set up on 16 March by the Paris Prefecture, which had sought to bring the social partners together (the CFDT and CFTC are the only trade union signatories) for weekly meetings.
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