French rail unions disrupt travel with mass strikes for second day

French rail workers launched a series of nationwide strikes on Tuesday April 03,2018, threatening months of transport disruption in the sternest challenge yet to President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to modernise Europe’s second largest economy.

State-run rail company SNCF, which Macron wants to overhaul, said 48 percent of the workers needed for the network to run smoothly were absent, as they joined the protests against plans to trim benefits including job guarantees and generous pensions.

Just one in four trains ran in the Paris region, while only one in eight high-speed TGV trains were operating. At Gare du Nord, Paris’s busiest station, platforms were so crowded that some commuters fell onto the tracks. Other stations were plunged into darkness, the lights and ticket machines switched off.

WHAT ARE THEY FIGHTING FOR?THE BENEFITS OF FRANCE'S RAIL WORKERS

- Job for life. Guarantee employment after a 2.5year trial period.

- Early retirement. Drivers can retire at the age of 52, and office workers at 57. Retirement age in France is now 62.

- Average monthly salary for a rail worker is 3,090 euros (£2,697), compared to 2,912 euros (£2,541). for the Average Frenchman. However, SNFC says that these figures also include top execs, and that 60 per cent of staff are paid under 3,000 euros.

- Free rail travel for family members .

- All rail workers are on a 35-hour working week.

- 28 days paid holiday every year.