© Christa GIMBLETT for 2lpesnet
Planes, Trains & All Other Transport...
Strikes threatened on public transport across France next Tuesday
Planes, trains, trams, buses and ferries could all be affected if the called upon strikes by the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) Union go ahead.
In a bid to defend public services amidst rumours of a move towards privatisation of transport services, the Union is calling on all sectors of the Industry to strike next Tuesday, 4th November.
In their argument against privatisation the union says that opening up some transport sectors to competition and putting contracts out to tender would “reduce safety levels” and lead to wide spread job losses. With all departments in France being mindful of budgets and looking for “lowest-cost” services the union feels that this would lead to an inevitable reduction in service levels for travellers.
Affects on the rail network if privatised would no doubt cause line closures, shut some ticket offices and possibly encourage shutting some of the smaller stations. Plans were denounced as “weakening the SNCF”.
The strike call comes ahead of the next environmental conference due at the end of November, where transport is due to be the main topic.
