The strikers are demanding, in particular, better management of career endings and measures to ensure staff loyalty.
A switchmen’s strike in New Aquitaine will seriously disrupt rail traffic in the South-West of France on Monday, with in particular the cancellation of 85% of TGVs between Paris and Bordeaux and regional traffic “very disturbed”, SNCF announced on Friday.
Read alsoStrike at the SNCF: “the infernal machine»
SNCF will operate five direct TGV round trips between Paris and Bordeaux, i.e. approximately 15% of the planned offer, “for customers who absolutely need to travel that day” by train. “All travelers who can are invited to postpone their trip to another date”, underlined a spokesperson for SNCF Voyageurs.
The call to strike was launched by the CGT-Cheminots and the Unsa railway to demand better management of the end of career and measures to ensure the loyalty of the personnel, indicated the Unsa. The signalmen, who are employees of the SNCF Réseau company, are also demanding an increase in their work bonus, while the employees of the SNCF Voyageurs company benefited from a bonus of 600 euros at the end of last year. “People from Réseau are also asking for it because Voyageurs does not run its trains on its own”, told AFP Didier Mathis, secretary general of Unsa railway.
“Strong disturbances”
No TGV will circulate south of Bordeaux, towards Hendaye and Toulouse. With regard to Intercités, the service will also be “very disturbed” with only two round trips between Toulouse and Marseille on the Bordeaux-Marseille line, two Toulouse-Bayonne round trips and no Nantes-Bordeaux train. The Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse train and the Paris-Rodez/Toulouse and Paris-Latour de Carol/Lourdes night trains will run normally, the spokesperson said. The TGV Inoui, Ouigo and Intercités customers concerned will be notified and will be able to exchange their ticket or get a refund, he added. The TER transport plan in New Aquitaine must be published later, but SNCF Réseau has already announced “strong disturbances” on the lines between Bordeaux and Hendaye, Tarbes, Agen, Arcachon, Périgueux, Angoulême, Nantes, as well as on the Hendaye-Tarbes, Poitiers-La Rochelle and Poitiers-Angoulême lines. Connections between TER and main lines will not be guaranteed.
Read alsoThe SNCF pays dearly to win its showdown with the CGT and avoid the strike
The signalmen’s strike is scheduled from 7 p.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Tuesday, but traffic is expected to be “almost normal” Sunday night. “Extensive negotiations were held. Despite the proposals made by SNCF Réseau, the notice was not lifted., said SNCF Réseau in a press release, saying that it would like “the continuation of the dialogue”.