Paris (AFP)

New test day in perspective for travelers called to take a TGV Tuesday in the west of France: as Monday, only one train in three will be in circulation because of the continuation of the strike of maintenance agents in the Paris suburbs, during the school holidays, a new illustration of social tensions at SNCF.

After a day of Monday already very disturbed on this network, where only 30% of the high-speed trains were in circulation during the school holidays, "we will go to 34%" Tuesday with a "slight improvement" on the services of Bordeaux and Nantes, announced the direction of the SNCF.

In detail, six round trips are planned on the Paris-Nantes line and eight round trips on the Paris-Bordeaux line. For the Paris-Rennes route, the situation remains unchanged with two scheduled trips.

Other destinations will be doled out, such as Paris-Poitiers (one round trip), Paris-Toulouse (two round trips) and Paris-Quimper (one round trip), and some stops will be ignored.

At the Montparnasse station, several passengers regretted Monday the lack of information to continue their journey, like Jean-Paul Villette, whose train was removed. "It is necessary to take his bad patience even if it is not pleasure (...) but hey, that would be good for example, from the moment one is in possession of a ticket of (...) Tell me, dear Sir or Madam, your train leaving for Brest tomorrow is canceled until further notice +, and at least we do not waste money, we do not waste our time and we do not bother. everybody".

The SNCF is forced to reduce the rate of its TGV Atlantic because of a movement started on October 21 by agents of the Technicentre of Chatillon (Hauts-de-Seine), specialized in the daily maintenance of trains. This highly localized movement has a major impact given the strategic role of center in the day-to-day operation of TGV Atlantique.

- "Respond to claims" -

The strike, attended by some 200 people out of the 700 that count the Technicentre according to the direction, constitutes "a real collective reaction of the base, a real fed up" on the part of "employees who triment" and touch lows salaries, told AFP Julien Troccaz, federal secretary of Sud-Rail, a union that supports the movement.

"The management wanted to return unilaterally to the working conditions" provided for in a local agreement, without consultation with the staff, before changing their minds about the challenge, said Mr. Troccaz.

On Sunday, the head of TGV Atlantique, Gwendoline Cazenave, had expressed her "misunderstanding" of "a situation of extremism" that "penalizes customers" insofar as the object of the disagreement with the strikers was been removed.

"Today the demand of the agents on strike, it is the payment of the days of strike, and that it is absolutely impossible so one continues to work and one continues working to increase the plan of transport and for, once again , that customers can spend a serene holiday and return from their vacation serenely, "said Ms. Cazenave on Monday at a press briefing at Montparnasse station.

Mr. Troccaz calls the management to "respond to the demands of employees and stop talking about illegality as soon as employees are mobilized."

This new episode of disruption comes after a shambles on the eve of the school holidays following the accident of a TER at a crossing on October 16 in the Ardennes. This incident triggered a wave of work stoppages by drivers and controllers throughout France, based on the right of withdrawal in the name of safety.

A strike, scheduled this one, is scheduled on December 5 at the call of several unions of the SNCF against the pension reform.

© 2019 AFP