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French Rail Traffic Hit by Strike
French rail traffic was severely disrupted on Thursday by a nationwide strike called by unions to press for a range of issues from higher salaries to guarantees over management restructuring plans.
The state rail company SNCF said the strike had hit most of its services. Only one train in three was running on many major high speed rail links while roughly one in four was operating on the Paris suburban network.
On the Eurostar, an average two trains in three were running between Paris, London and Brussels, the SNCF said.
French radio reported that the stoppage had caused major tailbacks on roads into Paris as commuters turned to their cars to get into work.
The five main rail unions are on a war footing over wages, hiring levels and plans for restructuring at the company which employs about 180,000 people.
The SNCF announced last year that it wants to change its set up, focusing closely on specific client needs and moving away from rigid territorial structures. Unions say such a plan could place profit above safety considerations.
The strike started at 8:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Wednesday and is due to end at 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Friday.
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