Ouigo reaches agreement with train drivers to call off five days of strike in June

Ouigo and the Semaf train drivers' union have reached an agreement to call off the five-day strike scheduled for June 12, 13, 23, and 27, partially, and for a full strike on June 26. The subsidiary of the French state railway company SNCF assures that during those days all scheduled services will "run as normal."

As Ouigo revealed in a statement, the agreement includes the creation of a working committee between the workers' legal representatives and the company "to address those aspects of the company's collective bargaining agreement whose implementation may generate discussion." Furthermore, the operator, which competes with Renfe, pledges to remain attentive "to the development of a positive working environment."

"Ouigo thanks Semaf and its driver association for their willingness to negotiate and reach an agreement that satisfies the interests of employees, the company as a whole, and passengers. The company reiterates its commitment to job creation and employee well-being," the company stated.

Ouigo has thus achieved social peace after weeks of high tension. The drivers had decided to go on strike after the operator dismissed one of its drivers "unjustifiably" in the eyes of Semaf. According to the company's account, the employee was dismissed because "despite having received specific training and support from experienced drivers, he failed to reach the necessary levels to safely perform such a critical function as driving." It also asserts that before taking this measure, the worker was offered an alternative within the company in a position unrelated to driving, "but was rejected."

However, for Semaf, the company's reaction constituted a breach of the collective bargaining agreement. "The unjustified management of the operator's human resources, which culminated in the dismissal without cause of a driver, is the trigger for the mobilization, as it systematically violates the labor rights recognized in both the collective bargaining agreement and the workers' statute," the union said on the day the strike was called. Now, the company says it has reached a private agreement with the employee in question, but has not disclosed its terms .

The 100 drivers on Ouigo's payroll were called to the strikes, and it was expected that they would affect 40 journeys to the 15 destinations where the company operates: Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante, Elche, Zaragoza, Seville, Malaga, Cordoba, Valladolid, Segovia, Albacete, Cuenca and Murcia .