French train strike will continue into July: Union
Train worker union CGT Cheminots has announced that SNCF strikes are to continue into the summer, with a “light” calendar offering even fewer trains than seen in the last three months.
Laurent Brun, CGT Cheminots general secretary, confirmed the move today, after first suggesting last week that more strikes were to come in July and beyond.
The strike timetable will run throughout July, August, and possibly September, although the actual days of strike are yet to be announced. The SUD union is also expected to be involved.
The first is likely to be on July 11, Mr Brun suggested, speaking to Europe 1.
He said: “The [strike] calendar will not have the same structure [but] there will be fewer trains than in the past few months, while still allowing people to move around.”
Mr Brun denied claims that the strike had been timed to deliberately disrupt people’s holidays.
He said: “The strike days will not necessarily be targeted to coincide with holiday departure days.”
In France, certain days in the summer are always expected to be the busiest for transport and road traffic, depending on when school summer breaks begin in a given region.
Yet, not everyone will be joining CGT Cheminots: On Tuesday, the unions - which have, until now, presented a united front in the strikes - split.
Union UNSA decided not to continue its movement after June 28, and is no longer contesting the railway reform.
Earlier this month (June), the Senate voted to adopt the proposed reforms by 240 votes to 85.
