‘Leave our rail, Macron’

WORKERS: CONTROVERSIAL OVERHAUL OF FRENCH SYSTEM REJECTED

Ballot show 95% are against president’s ‘leaner’ system – but govt rejects results.

Workers at France’s state-owned SNCF rail company yesterday resoundingly rejected President Emmanuel Macron’s planned overhaul of the railways in an internal ballot organised by labour unions.

Macron’s government wants to create a leaner, more efficient public railway company before the monopoly in domestic passenger rail is opened to competition in line with European Union rules, as has happened in countries such as neighbouring Germany.

The unions, which called the vote days after Air France employees forced the resignation of Air France-KLM’s chief executive, hope it will inject fresh energy into rolling strikes and weaken government’s negotiating hand.

“This vote totally discredits the SNCF management,” Laurent Brun, head of the CGT’s rail division, said. “It would be a mistake to ignore this warning.”

The government has dismissed the ballot as a petition with no legal significance.

Brun said 95% of those who voted rejected the reform. In all, 90 000 of 150 000 SNCF employees voted, he added.

The strikes have brought disruption but not paralysed the transport network. So far, there has been no sign from Macron that he will back down on the disputed reform. – Reuters