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French port workers and sailors strike: how ferries are affected
Managers are also joining action, with more than a dozen ports impacted
Workers in ports across France start a strike today (March 11) that may last until the end of the week, impacting more than a dozen major entry and exit points.
An inter-union call for a strike over job precarity, high turnover, and increased workload in the profession was filed by the CGT, CFDT, and UNSA unions.
Ports affected include: Dunkirk, Le Havre, Rouen, Caen, Lorient, Bastia, Nice, Port la Nouvelle, Boulogne, Saint-Malo, Les Sables-d’Olonne, Cherbourg, Guyane Port, Toulon, Ajaccio and Sète.
Others may still join. For the moment workers in Calais have not confirmed they are joining.
The strike will mostly affect logistical operations, however some passenger ferry services will be impacted.
The strike will begin this evening, and may be extended depending on worker votes until midnight on March 13, meaning a 36-hour long strike is possibly on the cards.
Both dockworkers (stevedores) and management positions are joining the strike. In Rouen, more than 50 workers are expected to join the action.
Read more: New EU border checks: how are French ports and airports preparing?
Are passenger ferries affected?
Passenger services between Marseille and Corsica are set to be heavily disrupted, particularly those from the Corsica Linea ferry line.
This is because port workers, who manage entrances and exits to ports, are also on strike in Corsica, limiting the number of boats allowed to enter.
This includes services in both directions between Marseille and Ajaccio, Île-Rousse, Propriano, and Bastia ports on the island.
Fellow provider La Méridionale said their services would be affected, however did not state exactly which would be disrupted. Clients affected will be sent a text.
Read more: London-Paris flights boost, holiday traffic: 8 France travel updates
Services between France and the UK/Ireland seem to be less affected.
P&O Ferries told The Connexion that services may be ‘lightly disrupted’ but cancellations were unlikely.
Currently, no Brittany Ferries services are scheduled to be cancelled – the online timetable shows a cancelled trip between Portsmouth and Le Havre, however this has been replaced by a service leaving slightly earlier.
DFDS Ferries told The Connexion it could not comment on disruptions, but there were no indications on its social media pages of changes.
Regardless, anybody travelling via ferry this week should check with their service provider whether schedules have been disrupted.
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