Although many people will not be working on Thursday, January 2, as employees take ‘the bridge’ from New Year’s Day to the weekend, there will be serious disruption on the local train service, according to train operator SNCF.
Trains will run approximately every 30 minutes during the morning commute from Nice, with fewer trains running from Ventimiglia and Menton. There will be gaps in service of up to two hours in both directions during the day. In the evening, only four trains will travel from Monaco to Nice Ville after 17:00, and the last service will be at 19:59.
Sensing a need to add more pressure on the French Government over pension reform, the radical CGT Union has called for all petroleum installations, including refineries, petroleum terminals, and depots, to be blocked for 96 hours, from January 7 to 10.
Thierry Defresne, central union representative at Total, told AFP on Tuesday, December 31: “This government does not hear anything, it is necessary to apply more pressure.” He said that the blockades – which initially will stop petrol leaving – could lead later to a shutting down of production at refineries. He implied that much will depend on the level of participation in demonstrations planned for Thursday, January 8. His union does not want to be isolated in strike action as it was against Labour Law reform in 2016.
So far, there have been only isolated cases of shortages of fuel at petrol stations.
ORIGINAL SOURCES: SNCF, National French Press and wire services
