Paris: French rail operator SNCF and aviation authorities warned of major disruptions on Thursday as public sector employees and their supporters carry out a one-day strike against low pay and President Emmanuel Macron’s reform drive.
Only 40 per cent of high-speed TGV services will be running, and just one in four regular trains across the country, SNCF chief Guillaume Pepy told RTL radio.
Outside Paris, just one in three SNCF trains serving the outlying suburbs is expected as unions protest an overhaul that would strip new hires of a special status that guarantees early retirement and other benefits.
Four Eurostar trains between London and Paris have already been cancelled.
“We’re going to do everything possible to help passengers,” Pepy said, adding that the SNCF’s national headquarters and regional offices would be closed in order to free up personnel.
In Paris itself, metro and bus services are set to run normally, but some suburban commuter lines will be affected, with just two out of three trains scheduled during rush hours on the heavily used RER A and B lines.
France’s civil aviation authority said a third of flights into and out of the main Paris airports of Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais would be cancelled on Thursday because of a strike by air traffic controllers.
Air France said shorter flights would be the most affected, while all long-haul flights were currently expected to operate.
Those cancellations come ahead of a separate strike by Air France pilots and cabin crew on Friday seeking a six-per cent raise.
Teachers are also striking on Thursday, mainly at primary schools, as are hospital workers and some civil servants in the biggest test for Macron since a wave of demonstrations last September and October.
— AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
