Strike in the trains at Christmas: the government reprimands the strikers, the SNCF apologizes
The strike, which the SNCF unions have not openly called, but for which they have given notice, will cause the cancellation of around one in three trains this weekend.
AP - Christophe Ena
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In France, many trains will be canceled due to a strike by controllers.
SNCF has already assured travelers whose trains have been canceled for the Christmas weekend that they will be reimbursed double the amount of their ticket.
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Some 200,000 travelers were looking to salvage their Christmas weekend on Wednesday after their trains were canceled due to another strike by controllers.
Only two out of three trains will run this weekend.
The cancellations concern almost exclusively TGVs, the Intercités being generally spared.
On Friday, in detail, two out of three TGVs should run on the Atlantic and Mediterranean axes, one out of two trains on the North axis (the Paris-Lille shuttle will be almost normal) and three out of four East TGVs.
TGVs between provincial stations will be more affected.
Three Ouigo out of four should also circulate.
"
At Christmas, we do not go on strike
"
For Saturday and Sunday, there will undoubtedly be a little more cancellations than Friday, warned the SNCF, without having yet confirmed the figures.
"
At Christmas, we don't strike
," stormed government spokesman Olivier Véran.
“
I obviously do not question the right to strike or the right of employees to demonstrate or to mobilize, but frankly, is it essential to do so on a Christmas weekend?
The answer is no
,” said the minister on France Inter.
While ensuring that he did not want to "
add oil to the fire
", he explained that "
in just under two years, there will have been nearly 12% salary increases for people who today go on strike
”.
200% refund
Travelers whose train has been canceled will be able to change their ticket without paying the price difference, repeats the SNCF.
But most of the maintained trains are already full.
“
For travelers who will not circulate and whose train will be canceled, it is 200% reimbursement
”, he said on Wednesday Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs on Franceinfo.
He estimates that this strike will cost "
several tens of millions of euros
" to the SNCF.
“
I want to apologize to the company
,” said the leader straight away.
“
A strike for the Christmas holidays is really unacceptable, I'm angry.
»
The controllers had already gone on strike the first weekend of December.
Since November, the SNCF has struggled to establish a dialogue with the collective organizer of this movement.
The strikers demand better recognition of the specificity of their profession and reject any acquaintance with the unions, even if they had to rely on the latter to file notices.
(
With
AFP)
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