France is preparing for another Christmas of travel disruption after state-owned rail operator SNCF was forced to cancel one of three TGV high-speed trains over strikes.
The measures will come into effect on the evening of December 22 following a strike announced by onboard customer service representatives, according to the SNCF website. Roughly the same situation is expected on Dec. 24 and 25, SNCF said.
Apart from the UK strikes, no disruptions to international travel on Thalys and Eurostar trains are expected during this period, SNCF added. No Eurostar trains are currently scheduled for December 26 due to a strike at Britain’s Network Rail, although further strikes planned for this week were canceled on December 21 after staff were given an improved offer.
The strikes are among many taking place across sectors – particularly in the UK – as inflation soars and the cost of living becomes harder to afford. While protests and calls for higher wages are legitimate, there is no justification for strikes at such a crucial time, French government spokesman Olivier Veran said in an interview with France Inter on December 21.
Families are desperate to reunite after two difficult Christmases marred by COVID-19, he said. “There should be no strikes at Christmas, there should be a truce,” Veran said. “This is not the time to take the French hostage.”
The SNCF has agreed to reimburse twice the price of the lost tickets. Veran said he couldn’t yet estimate what the refunds would cost the company.
Air France-KLM’s French carrier faces possible strikes later in December, despite the airline’s pledges to still take all of its customers to their destinations.
