As of: 02/06/2023 4:54 p.m
There will be another strike in France on Tuesday. This will also affect rail traffic from there to Germany, and many connections will be cancelled. The French transport minister is calling for strikes to be canceled at the start of the winter holidays.
Long-distance traffic to Germany will also be affected by the general strike in France on Tuesday. There will be no trains at all on the route from Frankfurt am Main via Saarbrücken to Paris, and most trains will be canceled on the connection from Stuttgart and Frankfurt via Karlsruhe to Strasbourg and Paris. The Thalys is also affected, so the last train from Düsseldorf will only go to Brussels and not to Paris. Regional trains between Germany and France, on the other hand, are not expected to be affected.
Strike waiver demanded at the beginning of the vacation
Many trains will be canceled in France. Strikes were not only announced for Tuesday, but also for Saturday – that’s when the winter holidays begin for many French people.
Transport Minister Clément Beaune called on the unions not to go on strike during the holidays: “I appeal to the unions’ responsibility not to disrupt travel at the beginning of the holidays,” he told broadcaster LCI. The holidays are not only “ski holidays for rich families”, but also an opportunity to see family members who live further away. Many French people had already suffered from rail strikes at Christmas and had to forego family reunions, the minister said.
The unions of the employees of the French railways SCNF withdrew their call for strikes for Saturday, workers should only take part in demonstrations. But they also want to go on strike on Tuesday – it is expected that two-thirds of the regional trains and half of the TGV express trains will then be canceled. French transport workers must give 48 hours notice before a strike that they want to take part. Attempts to ban strikes at the beginning or end of vacations or to maintain emergency care have failed in the past.
Protests against pension reform
France is again facing severe restrictions on public life. According to official figures, almost 1.3 million people took to the streets on the last day of protests last Tuesday, while the unions spoke of 2.8 million.
The current protests and strikes in France are directed against government plans for pension reform. Among other things, the minimum pension is to rise to 1,200 euros, but the retirement age is also to be raised from 62 to 64 by 2030. The French parliament has been dealing with the project since Monday.