A month after hearing the news, Chloé couldn’t keep calm. He’s been unemployed for a month. One month since he was informed that he was fired by RATP, the company he had worked for almost ten years.
In early October, he received a letter informing him of his dismissal. “Following the opinion issued by the disciplinary board held on October 2, I inform you that I have decided to take action for dismissal against you,” its director wrote in the opening.
Mystery shoppers and TikTok
In the remainder of his letter, the latter returns to a very specific episode. On June 17, when a mystery shopper — an investigator mandated by Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) who evaluates staff by pretending to be a customer — asked about travel plans to Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine). The scene occurred shortly before 11pm, at Mairie-de-Montreuil station, on line 9.
That night, Chloé sat at the ticket booth, behind the glass. That’s when the mystery shopper noticed that the agent was watching TikTok videos on his phone. Chloe then stops the video, sends the route to the customer, and leaves the phone on her desk.
“That is not me”
A scene that the person questioned. “I don’t remember giving directions that night. Anyway, when I was received by my management, I said it wasn’t me,” he defended. Not enough for the RATP, which decided to fire the Coubron (Seine-Saint-Denis) resident after the first meeting and disciplinary board.
The news quickly had a bombshell effect in the corridors of the company and its workers’ unions. “In 22 years at RATP, this is the first time I’ve seen a colleague fired just for watching a TikTok video. He didn’t make a security mistake. It happened at the counter at 10:50 p.m., he didn’t disturb anyone,” worries staff representative Ahmed Berrahal, who posted the document Chloé received on Saturday on X. At least in part.
An event that is far from isolated
Because in the rest of the letter to Chloé obtained by Le Parisien, we learn that the RATP agent has undergone several disciplinary procedures in the past. He was reprimanded in April 2023, before being laid off for one day in the summer of 2024, then laid off again, this time for five days, last February.
“This is the fourth time in two years that this agent has been subjected to disciplinary proceedings. He has received warnings and layoff days for lateness, unexcused absences, inappropriate comments towards customers, and wrong posture with customers,” the company recalled. In short, the retraction was not based on the June 17 episode alone.
Asked about this, Chloé readily admitted her mistakes, ranging from delays, but also insulting comments to users. In this case, the mother explained that initially she was the target of racist insults made by the traveler.
“Repeated facts” and “lack of regret”
Despite everything, RATP considered the situation on June 17 “unacceptable”. “The mysterious buyer clarified that the agent’s posture was wrong and he did not correct it in front of him,” his employer continued.
“Given the repetition of the alleged facts, the agent’s disciplinary history, the lack of expression of remorse on his part as well as the maintenance of his behavior despite supportive measures taken by management, it was decided to announce his dismissal,” RATP concluded.
Despite everything, Chloe remains angry. “I feel humiliated. I found out from my colleagues that I had been laid off,” he said sadly, while worrying about his credit which now has to be paid back without a salary. “This is a complete injustice! I was fired because of a phone screen,” said Chloé, who recently asked a lawyer to challenge this decision.
