French Rail workers walk out on strike

(NECN/APTV) – A nationwide strike by French railway workers, anxious about the restructuring of freight transport, caused transport delays across the country on Tuesday morning. French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau said the one-day strike stopped a third of domestic high-speed TGV trains and about half of the TER regional trains. Commuters at Saint Lazare Train station in Paris were left waiting for longer than usual for their trains, while others started their journeys early to avoid delays. “I had to get up earlier. But this is why they go on strike. So to attract attention and point out their issues. In this case it’s about the French railway employees,” said one commuter. At the Gare Bordeaux Saint Jean railway station in Bordeaux on Tuesday morning, one woman said she was “perfectly informed” of the strike and hoped the planned trains would arrive on time. Three leading rail workers’ unions are striking to protest restructuring at the SNCF national rail authority. Bussereau said on LCI television that the six thousand or seven thousand workers affected by the restructuring would remain employed by SNCF. The strike is one of several labour actions this week, as parliament starts debating the 2010 budget.