A signalmen’s strike in New Aquitaine will seriously disrupt rail traffic in the South-West of France on Monday, with in particular the cancellation of 85% of the TGVs between Paris and Bordeaux and “very disrupted” regional traffic.
This Sunday evening, at Saint-Jean station in Bordeaux, some had taken the lead. Like this user who tries her luck and hopes to leave by TER for Biarritz: “It wasn’t easy. Yesterday was a bit confusing“ she explains.
This Arcachonnaise, she has an appointment tomorrow in Paris.
“It’s okay that I have a foothold in Paris. It’s not easy when you don’t have one. That’s one more hotel night“
Tomorrow, Monday, the SNCF will ensure the circulation of five direct TGV round trips between Paris and Bordeaux, that is to say approximately 15% of the planned offer. The TER and Intercités will hardly circulate south of Poitiers, in particular between Bordeaux and the cities of Angoulême, Nantes, Périgueux, Arcachon, Hendaye and Tarbes as well as between Hendaye and Tarbes.
The strike call was launched by the CGT-Cheminots and the Unsa railway to demand better management of career endings and measures to ensure staff loyalty. The signalmen’s movement begins this Sunday at 7 p.m. and lasts until Tuesday 8 a.m. But, tonight, the traffic will be normal says Jean-Luc Gary. The territorial director SNCF Nouvelle-Aquitaine network recognizes a strong participation “since we will not be able to ensure permanence at the signal boxes“.
Since the start of the pandemic, railway workers have provided passenger transport, including during the first confinement. They even helped transfer patients with Covid to hospitals in other regions, recalls Jean-Luc Gary who adds a dAdditional difficulty for the SNCF: positive cases or contact cases. “Absences fall on the staff in post and the management. Workloads are increasing very sharply due to this health crisis“. A “unbearable situation” he concedes.
In Aquitaine-Poitou-Charentes, there is still a lack of signalmen despite a recruitment effort. The SNCF will launch a vast campaign. It is already recruiting at a Baccalaureate or CAP level with work-study training. The territorial director launches a “appeal to young people who want to join the SNCF which offers the possibility of good careers“he boasts.
TGV Inoui, Ouigo and Intercités customers whose trains have been canceled will be notified and will be able to exchange their ticket or get a refund.