FRANCE: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls calls for an end to the country's train strike as it reaches its sixth day of action

Record ID: 341755

  • Title: FRANCE: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls calls for an end to the country's train strike as it reaches its sixth day of action
  • Date: 16th June 2014
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 16, 2014) (REUTERS) TRAIN ARRIVING IN STATION SNCF WORKERS ASSISTING PASSENGERS PEOPLE LOOKING AT INFORMATION ABOUT TRAINS SCREEN READING (French): 'TRAFFIC INFORMATION, MONDAY JUNE 16, A SOCIAL MOVEMENT WILL STRONGLY DISRUPT THE CIRCULATION OF TRAINS ON LINES L AND J' AND 'ANTICIPATE ONE TRAIN OUT OF FOUR ON AVERAGE. INFORMATION AND TIMETABLES ARE AVAI
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Politics,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVAEXP6YSB3ZJWDTPBCMNUVA2YLS
  • Story Text: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls refused on Monday (June 16) to yield to the demands of striking rail workers seeking to derail a planned reform of the sector as their stoppage entered a six day.
    The strike is one of the longest France has seen in years and has disrupted services since last Tuesday, testing the resolve of President Francois Hollande's government's to push through sometimes unpopular reforms.
    Hardline unions CGT and SUD are against plans, intended to prepare the sector ahead of EU reforms aimed at bringing more competition to European transport routes, while less militant unions have dropped their opposition and returned to work.
    "I am deeply sorry that this strike is continuing because we do not see the sense (in it) when dialogue has been maintained, the government's door remains open, and the debate at the Assembly is going to start tomorrow. This text is necessary," Valls said on France Info radio.
    Parliament is due to begin debating a bill on Tuesday that would bring the SNCF rail operator and RFF network owner into the same holding company, although their operations would be kept separate.
    Hollande's Socialist government says the move would give the sector a more coherent structure as France and other European countries prepare for liberalisation.
    Unions fear that working conditions would suffer and want SNCF and RFF to be fully merged into one entity as they were prior to 1997.
    "It is time to stop this strike, it is time to talk, I say that especially to the CGT, the door is open, it is not possible to maintain this situation which is not understood by our citizens and is costing a lot for that matter to the country," said Valls.
    Insisting the government would push ahead with the reform, he said that he was "no strike-breaker" and would not force unions to end the strike, which he said they had a constitutional right to carry out.
    The government and state-owned SNCF have had to mobilise special train and bus services to ensure students can attend annual end-of-school exams beginning on Monday for hundreds of thousands of students across the nation.
    Passenger Charles Maclou at Gare Saint Lazare in Paris agreed with the principle of striking but told Reuters Television this particular action was frustrating.
    "Already today there is the 'Bac' (high school exams), so I think the SNCF would have nonetheless made an effort to put off this strike. That they strike is their right, it's their right that we've had for a long time, the only problem is that they strike for anything and everything so in any case the longevity is a bit too long for my liking, and it's a bit too frequent as well," he said.
    "It's not possible to continue this strike, they don't think about people who use transport, it's very difficult," said Brazilian traveller Walnice D'siqueria, before adding: "I am very annoyed today. Being already annoyed on a Monday, imagine the end of the week, (on) Friday. We've had enough."
    The SNCF handed out hot chocolate to passengers at Saint Lazare and provided assistance as one in four trains were running as normal.
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