Renfe workers suspend the strike that was going to cancel 1,500 trains this Friday

2023-11-23 23:34:07

Renfe workers have called off the strike that was going to begin this Friday after reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Transport, according to negotiation sources. The company has reached an agreement with the Renfe and Adif staff to suspend the five days of strikes called due to discontent over the transfer of the Rodalies to Catalonia.

At stake was the circulation of 1,500 medium and long distance trains – including AVE trains – that had not been included in the minimum service plan established by the Ministry of Transport, 72% in the case of long distance trains, 65% for the medium distance and 50% on the Cercanías at non-peak hours.

The Ministry headed just a few days ago by Óscar Puente has been involved in negotiations with the unions to avoid a strike that was going to affect tens of thousands of people. The cabinet confirms that the day’s programming will be resumed, although they admit that there could be some incident first thing in the morning that will be corrected.

The unions assure that they have achieved all their demands, since they have been promised the “guarantee of integrity” of the public companies Renfe and Adif despite the transfer of Rodalies and the maintenance of the workforce.

The established minimum services left out almost 30% of the AVE and long-distance trains (451 of the 1,185 trains that were scheduled to circulate this Friday on the tracks throughout Spain) and 35% of the rest, a total of 1,079 medium-distance trains. affected of the 3,160 scheduled for the day. UGT anticipated that there would be a “high participation” of the workforce because all the unions of the general committees of Renfe and Adif were called.

To try to alleviate the impact on travelers, Renfe allowed train tickets to be changed to another with the most approximate schedule, in addition to canceling it or moving it to another date at no cost. In addition to this Friday, there were also going to be 24-hour strikes on Thursday, November 30 and December 1, 4 and 5. Renfe had notified the affected travelers by email or SMS and the possibilities they had for change or cancellation.

Although the Ouigo and Iryo trains were not affected, as the strike also affected Adif workers, delays or some unexpected cancellations were expected.

The causes of discontent

Renfe and Adif workers agreed to call a strike due to the uncertainty generated in the workforce by the transfer of the Rodalies to Catalonia – agreed between PSOE and ERC in the negotiations for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez – for five days in these months of November and December. Adding to the discontent is the entry of a private company (MSC) into the capital of Renfe Mercancías, which generates a lot of job uncertainty for the workforce, they say. The transfer of Rodalies to the management of the Generalitat will mean that Catalonia acquires control over the management of lines R1, R2 and R3, including trains and tracks. Subsequently, other lines will be evaluated, according to the agreement between PSOE and ERC.

This strike could be a great inconvenience for the thousands of train passengers scheduled for this Friday, especially at a time when the train is used as a means of transportation for millions of Spaniards. The latest data from Adif referring to the month of October indicate that railway traffic in Spain has grown by almost 11%, especially thanks to the entry of new operators (Ouigo and Iryo) that have reduced ticket prices on the lines they They have entered.

In fact, the most significant increase so far this year has occurred in long-distance traffic, which grew by 33%, specifically in high-speed traffic, which increased by almost 40%.