A wild strike SNCF: the traffic always disturbed Saturday, an “unacceptable” situation denounces Édouard Philippe

Like Friday, the traffic was to remain very disturbed on Saturday, the first day of the school holidays, management and unions have not found a compromise that could encourage drivers and controllers to lift their right of withdrawal, exercised after an accident that caused several injuries Wednesday, including a train driver.

Five hours of talks this Friday night between unions and management have not given anything. The two sides have separated without agreement and should see themselves in the “course of next week”, announces the SNCF, which therefore expects for this Saturday to “a situation very substantially identical” to that of the previous day. At issue: an unexpected social movement after the accident of a TER in Champagne-Ardenne. Drivers apply their right of withdrawal. The management of the SNCF, which considers this movement as a “strike without notice”, advises users to postpone their trip.

Prime Minister deplored an “unacceptable” situation Saturday, October 19, while the drivers and controllers exercise their right of withdrawal, after an accident occurred Wednesday.
“I asked the SNCF to examine all the consequences, including judicial, that could be given when people do not respect the law,” said Edouard Philippe, who visited the National Center for Rail Operations in Paris, with SNCF CEO Guillaume Pepy and Secretary of State for Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.

The CEO of SNCF Guillaume Pepy on Saturday challenged the validity of the right of withdrawal exercised by agents of the company and announced its intention to go to court to recognize that it is a strike “surprise” .

Few TER, no Ouigo, but TGV
TERs are still very disturbed. This Saturday morning, several trains are deleted. They come from Chartres, Tours, Bordeaux, Laroche-Migennes, Troyes, or Saint Dizier. Others are announced with delay. In the Alpes-Maritimes, the TER circulate again since Saturday morning.

All Ouigo trains are canceled, knowing that customers will be automatically refunded by Wednesday, October 23rd. TGV traffic is also concerned, but a priori much more lightly: 9 out of 10 trains insured in the South-East and West-Atlantic regions. traffic will be normal in the North and East.

Difficulties also on the RER and the Transilien network
RER A, B and D and lines H, J, L and R are also disturbed:

RER A: disturbed traffic between La Défense and Poissy and between La Défense and Cergy le Haut.
RER B: extremely disturbed traffic between Paris Nord and Mitry Claye / CDG Airport 2. Normal traffic between Paris Nord and Robinson / Saint-Rémy lès Chevreuse.
RER D: almost no trains run on the line.
Line: H, J and L: disturbed traffic on the whole line
Line R: No train between Melun and Montereau via Hericy and between Moret and Montargis. Almost no train between Paris and Montereau via Moret.

Drivers exercise their right of withdrawal
Train drivers are in fact called to stop working by the CGT railway after the collision, Wednesday, between a TER and a truck at a crossing of the Ardennes. They assert their right of withdrawal following this accident, because the driver, injured, had to manage alone the situation: there was no controller on board. Eleven people were slightly injured in the accident. The drivers denounce the lack of more and more frequent controllers on board trains.

The right of withdrawal, provided for by the Labor Code, does not require the filing of notice and does not entail any penalty or withholding of salary.

A “not normal” movement for the government
The Secretary of State for Transport lamented a “surprise strike outside the legal framework”. It is “not normal to take users to witness a union position on a device they dispute,” said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. “Three-quarters of TERs are operated alone on board,” said the Secretary of State who sees “an approved driving measure” practiced “throughout Europe”.

Due to the social movement of 18/10/2019 without notice, the circulation of TGV INOUI and Intercités is disrupted. The exchange and refund fees are free of charge from 18/10 to 21/10/2019 for the trips scheduled on 18/10/19 on all INOUI TGV and Intercités.
Before going to the station, we invite you to consult your usual information tools:
– on the SNCF app> Information> Traffic Info,
– at www.sncf.com> Routes and booking> Traffic information,
– by telephone on the free number 0805 90 36 35,
For TGV trains INOUI and INTERCITÉS, all customers who have communicated their contact information are contacted by SMS or e-mail, regardless of the situation of their train.

About The Author

Gabriel MIHAI

See author's posts