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Rail strikes: Passengers in France warned of major disruption after Easter

The Local France
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Rail strikes: Passengers in France warned of major disruption after Easter
Photo: AFP

Train passengers in France have been warned that major disruptions will hit services from 7pm on Monday April 2nd (Easter Monday), the eve of the first two-day rolling strike by rail workers.

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French rail workers will stage rolling strikes from April to June which threaten to cause travel misery for passengers across the country. 
 
Tuesday April 3rd and Wednesday April 4th are the first of a total of 36 days of strike action however travellers have been warned that services will be affected from Monday evening.  
 
Head of France's national rail company SNCF Guillaume Pepy advised people travelling on Monday evening to "take precautions". 
 
"The strike starts Monday at 7 pm and it will greatly disrupt the lives of French people," said Pepy on Friday. "There will be very few trains that leave after 7 pm on Monday."
 
"The law states that each of the drivers and signal have until Saturday at 7 pm to say they are joining the strike," he said, adding that a list of the trains still scheduled to depart will be published on Sunday morning. 
 
But he warned that some passengers who have already left for Easter weekend risk having one of their trains cancelled.
 
More details on exactly how rail traffic is hit will be made public on Sunday.
 
The rolling strikes will be carried out on two days out of every five until June 28 unless the government drops its plan, which includes stripping new recruits of jobs-for-life and other benefits, the CGT said on Thursday after a meeting of rail operator SNCF's four main unions.
 
With the government planning to push through the reforms using parliamentary decrees rather than putting them to a vote by MPs it appears both sides are entrenched in their positions, which means bad news for passengers.
 
Unions are angry over the government's plan to scrap the special employment status of rail workers, who often have to work weekends, nights and holidays.
 
 
READ ALSO: 
French strikes: What can I do if my train or plane is cancelled?
 
 
 

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