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STRIKES

France strikes: Only two Paris Metro lines closed but disruption continues

Public transport in Paris took a slight turn for the better on Monday as mass transportation strikes passed the 26-day mark.

France strikes: Only two Paris Metro lines closed but disruption continues
Photo: AFP

For the first time since the strikes began on December 5th, only two Metro lines – lines 7bis and 13 – are completely closed, although most of the others are running a reduced service.

With talks between the government and the unions not set to restart until January 7th, and a war of words between the two parties over the weekend, the strikes over proposed changes to the French pension system look set to continue for some days yet.

Here's how services are looking on Monday, December 30th:

In Paris things are looking up slightly with more services running, although as a whole the transport network is still badly disrupted.

 

On the Metro only lines 1 and 14 – which are automated – are running as normal. But only lines 7bis and 13 remain closed completely, all others are offering a limited service.

Lines 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are offering a rush hour only service – running from 6.30am to 9.30am and 4.30pm to 7.30pm.

Lines 2 and 11 are running morning rush hour only, line 3bis is running afternoon only and lines 6 and 12 are running evening rush hour only.

On the tram network things are largely back to normal, with lines 3a, 7 and 8 running a 'quasi normal' service all day and the other lines running as normal.

The RER suburban train network remains disrupted with fewer trains than normal and running only at limited periods, while on the buses three quarters of the normal services are running.

On the railways things are again disrupted but not as badly as in the early days of the strike.

 

Overall half the normal high speed TGV services are running and half the budget Ouigo services.

The local network is worst affected with a quarter of suburban Transilien trains and Intercité routes and just four in 10 of the normal local TER services.

The disruption affects international services including the Eurostar, which has already published on its website a limited timetable running until January 3rd.

There are no reported flight disruptions and Eurotunnel's Le Shuttle service is running as normal.

 

 

TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of 420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some 200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of 2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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