Trade unions at France’s railway operator SNCF have called for an indefinite strike from next month that could disrupt train services during the upcoming Christmas holidays.
The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF, the national rail operator’s freight division.
They are also protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition, as required under EU legislation.
In a joint statement to AFP, the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions said the action would begin on 11 December.
The unions also reiterated their call for shorter strike action from 20-22 November.
Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays.
In February, train controllers went on strike during a holiday weekend, leaving 150,000 people stranded. A Christmas strike in December 2022 affected some 200,000 holidaymakers.
Rail strike set to paralyse SNCF operations on first weekend of Christmas season
(- with AFP)
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