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Major strike blocks trains to France

2023-01-31T09:47:23.573Z


Demonstrations and strikes on the second day of protests against the pension reform planned in France bring rail traffic to a standstill in many places. Also to the neighbor Germany.


Enlarge image

Train routes affected by strikes: TGV of the French railway company SNCF

Photo: SARAH MEYSSONNIER / REUTERS

In France, a nationwide general strike against the planned pension reform started on Tuesday with massive disruptions to public transport.

The Paris Metro operated only sporadically.

Two out of three connections with the TGV high-speed train failed.

Train travelers in the direction of France have to be prepared for train cancellations on Tuesday because of the major strike.

A number of ICE and TGV connections between Frankfurt or Stuttgart and Paris are no longer available, as Deutsche Bahn announced.

Other ICE only run between Frankfurt and Saarbrücken.

Rail traffic is also coming to a standstill within France, it said.

Passengers should switch to another day of travel if possible, said a railway spokeswoman.

Tickets that have already been booked can still be used or canceled up until February 3rd.

The seat reservation required for France can be rebooked at the DB travel center.

The ICE between Paris and Stuttgart will also be canceled early on Wednesday morning.

In regional traffic, the RB 28 connection between Müllheim and Mulhouse was discontinued on Tuesday.

Second big protest day against pension reform

On the second major day of protests against the planned pension reform, the most important trade unions jointly called for demonstrations.

According to the union, half of all primary school teachers will not teach.

Electricity production fell 4.4 percent in the morning hours as workers at power plants joined the walkouts.

Energy giant TotalEnergies stopped shipping petroleum products.

The French government wants to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne described the increase in the retirement age as "non-negotiable".

The reform also includes an increase in the minimum pension to 1,200 euros.

In addition, the employment of seniors should be promoted.

On the first day of protests on January 19, more than a million people took to the streets.

Strikers had paralyzed the whole country, and there were clashes between demonstrators and the police.

For President Emmanuel Macron, pension reform is one of the most important projects of his second and final term.

Originally he wanted to raise the retirement age to 65, but he has already made some concessions to opponents of the reform.

So far, the current plan has also been unacceptable to trade unions.

"This reform is unfair and brutal," said Luc Farre, general secretary of the UNSA union for public sector workers.

kig/dpa-AFX/AFP/Reuters

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2023-01-31

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