Secretary of State for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, said that the SNCF would not seize justice on the social movement of railway workers started on October 18, while Jean-Pierre Farandou takes the direction of the SNCF this Friday. "The SNCF said it would not go to the TGI (High Court) to qualify the social movement, because it is also in the face of profound changes," he said Friday on LCI.
"The arrival of Jean-Pierre Farandou is also the moment to stimulate a new dynamic and to project itself into what can be a positive future for the SNCF, so I understand this decision, but I think we have to be both in this full opening, to make changes (...) and then to be firm on the rules of law that protect users but also employees, "assured the Secretary of State.
Sanctions already put in place because of the strike
"The right of withdrawal, which is an individual right (...), was diverted from its original purpose.It was organized collectively, on the night of Thursday to Friday to impact the maximum of French who went on holiday on Friday morning, "said Mr. Djebbari. He acknowledges, however, that "the sanctions already exist since there is a non-payment of strike days, and the SNCF will stick to it".
The movement started on the night of 17 to 18 October, when controllers and drivers had decided to exercise a right of withdrawal after an accident that caused 11 injuries in the Ardennes, including a driver who was the only SNCF agent on board of the train.