French rail strike to continue

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS

French railway unions said on Friday that the three-month rolling strike at the national rail company, would continue despite a decision by the government to absorb 35 billion euros (nearly $41 million) of the company's debt.

Head of the centrist Unsa rail union Roger Dillenseger told reporters after a meeting between unions and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe that the government offered to absorb part of the state-owned company's debts.

The meeting comes as France is in the grip of a three-month wave of rolling rail strikes -- which started April.3 -- and causing difficulties for the country's 4.5 million daily commuters.

Two days of stoppages are planned every five days until the end of June.

According to Dillenseger, the debt relief would happen in two stages -- 25 billion euros in 2020 and another 10 billion in 2022.

Nonetheless, the secretary general of the CGT -- a leftwing trade union -- Philippe Martinez and the head of the union's branch in the SNCF, Laurent Brun, both said the strike would "continue" as planned and urged the government to organize a "to fix its commitments".

"The mobilization is more than necessary," Brun said, adding the government seemed to be "more open" but "still struggling to commit".

"Our fears are still present," he said.

The railway workers have been protesting for nearly two months against government plans to revamp the debt-laden company ahead of the sector being opened to competition in 2019.

Reforms also include the cancellation of a special status historically given to railway workers, which had guaranteed them a job for life and early retirement, for new employees.

Rail workers on Thursday have overwhelmingly voted against the reforms in a ballot derided by the company as a petition.

The industrial action is being seen as the biggest challenge yet to President Emmanuel Macron's sweeping plans to liberalize the French economy and make it more competitive.