The CEO of SNCF Guillaume Pepy on Saturday challenged the validity of the right of withdrawal exercised by agents of the company and announced its intention to go to court to recognize that it is a strike "surprise" . The traffic is very disturbed since Friday, after an accident which made several wounded on Wednesday.
"It's a strike, so we've made orders for strikers to get back to work and we're studying the legal route, which is the way we're going to go. in court to judge that it is indeed a strike and not a right of withdrawal, "he said on BFM-TV.
"There is no serious and imminent danger to the SNCF"
"This is not a right of withdrawal today, there is no serious and imminent danger on any train at the SNCF," said Guillaume Pépy. "It's not admissible, it's a surprise strike that does not respect the law on strike in the public services," he said. "First you have to make a social alarm, it did not happen, then there are consultation meetings, then you have to declare in writing that you intend to go on strike so that we can implement a minimum service, this law was not respected ", continued the CEO of the SNCF. Guillaume Pepy also assured that the traffic of low-cost TGVs Ouigo, totally interrupted Saturday morning, would "resume as soon as possible", without further details.
This work stoppage follows an accident on Wednesday night: a TER linking Charleville-Mézières to Reims hit an exceptional road convoy stuck on a level crossing in Saint-Pierre-sur-Vence, in the Ardennes. The prefecture of the Ardennes indicates that there were "eleven wounded", some of whom were hospitalized.
"The safety of travelers has never been endangered"
Saying "solidarity" with travelers, Guillaume Pepy has denied any security risk: "There are daily, in Île-de-France, as in many European countries, 6,000 trains with 3.5 million passengers who circulate with one driver on board, this system has been validated by the public railway safety establishment, "he said, claiming that there had" never been the slightest incident ".
"I say (...) that the driver has done his job and the safety of travelers has never been endangered," insisted Guillaume Pépy, saying he had never seen this type of movement "in ten years "President of the SNCF:" This is the first time I come on a plateau say that a right of withdrawal is clearly illegitimate.