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Deconfinement: will there be enough railway workers to run the trains?

2020-05-10T16:15:33.748Z


From this Monday, public transport will increase its traffic. But given the consequences of the epidemic, not sure that there


From theory to practice. Monday, in transport, finished the statistics, the multiple more or less credible scenarios and the procrastination. Make way for the concrete. A real leap into the unknown! Because the government has decided: wearing a mask is now compulsory for all travelers over 11 years old and above all, social distancing becomes the rule. A real puzzle whose success rests on two aspects. First the flow management. It will be ensured at the same time by maintaining telework, smoothing peak hours and controlling entrances to the largest stations.

"45,000 railway workers are missing"

The second element is the transport offer. The greater the number of trains, the more social distancing is possible. This is where the damage occurs: if last week the SNCF management announced that 100,000 railway workers would be at work on Monday, against 15,000 during confinement, 45,000 are missing. Leave, rest ... Some are normally absent.

But management recognizes it: "Like all companies, we are absent because of the Covid-19. The railroad population is young. We have a big unknown on the part of our collaborators who will be able or will want to put their children to the school in the next days. "

VIDEO. How the SNCF prepares stations for deconfinement in Paris

Added to this are sick or fragile railway workers, for whom infection with the coronavirus could prove fatal. "We will miss this 20% to 30% of railway workers," warns Fabien Villedieu of SUD Rail. These are fewer staff but with work. Drivers must now clean it each time they change the cab. "

The possibility of the right of withdrawal

And what about worried rail workers who refuse to go back to work? At the Saint-Lazare station (Paris, 9th arrondissement), SUD Rail took legal action for endangering others. In certain categories of agents, notably among controllers, there is great concern: "Management has promised us all protective measures, recognizes Bruno ( the first name has been changed ), controller. But we do not really want to go in contact with passengers to ensure the validity of their tickets. "

From there to imagine that the tickets will no longer be checked ... "No, ensures the management of the SNCF which still recognizes fewer checks in recent weeks. In all cases, from CGT-railroaders to CFDT-railroaders, via Unsa-rail and SUD Rail, we say we are ready to support agents who wish to assert their right of withdrawal.

Return to normal expected in June

If SNCF may experience staffing problems in the coming weeks, it is not the only one. "If necessary, we will use temporary workers," says a public transport operator, who wishes to remain anonymous. Everything will depend on our absenteeism rate. "

In a letter sent to the Prime Minister last week, the main transport companies (SNCF, RATP, KEOLIS, Transdev, etc.) warned: "It appears that transport operators do not currently have the human and material resources of a nature to meet such an obligation (Editor's note: respect for social distancing). "

Closing lines as drastic measures

An internal SNCF source confirms: “All of our trains are not yet available. The new ones, like the Régio 2N, are under manufacturer's warranty for two years. Bombardier does the maintenance. And they only returned to work a fortnight ago. "

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This situation explains the caution of the SNCF which announced three out of four trains in circulation by the end of the month. And a return to normal only in June. "The problem of manpower and therefore of respecting distance will not exist if the passengers are few, summarizes an operator who participated in discussions with the State. Otherwise, the government has planned drastic measures, such as closing lines. "

Source: leparis

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