Little Christmas cheer as French transport strike enters fourth week

Christmas Day brought no respite for travelers in France as a transport strike entered its fourth week, ruining the plans of thousands wanting to celebrate with loved ones.

Many people scrambled at the last minute to make alternative arrangements as the protest against pension reform saw thousands of trains canceled or delayed – and taxis, ride-sharing services and car rental agencies unable to make up the shortfall.

Only a fraction of high-speed and inter-city trains ran on Christmas Eve and even fewer were operating on the holiday itself. The main train stations in Paris were closed for the morning with suburban connections slashed and just two out of 16 metro lines – the only driverless ones – providing any service.

President Emmanuel Macron had called for a holiday truce, but negotiations between the government and unions last week failed to find common ground.

Train platforms are empty at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, December 24, 2019. /AP Photo

And strikers vowed there would be no halt to the strike during the festive period unless officials scrap plans to merge the current 42 pension schemes into one.

Talks are scheduled to resume only on January 7.

The government says the overhaul is needed to create a fairer pension system.

But workers balk at the inclusion of a so-called pivot age of 64 until which people would have to work to earn a full pension – two years beyond the official retirement age.

Others, especially railway workers, are angry at plans to do away with special regimes that make early retirement provisions for categories of employees who work unusual hours or do physically demanding jobs.

Trade union demonstrators are blocked by police officers in Biarritz, December 24, 2019. /AP Photo

The strike is taking a heavy toll on businesses, especially retailers, hotels and restaurants, during what should be one of the busiest periods of the year.

Industry associations have reported turnover declines of 30 to 60 percent from a year earlier, and the SNCF said Tuesday it had lost 400 million euros (442 million U.S. dollars) in potential earnings so far.

"It is starting to hurt financially. But we have gone too far to stop now," said train driver Raffi Kaya.

And that means no pause for the New Year holiday.

"You don't stop when you've lost 20 or 25 days of salary just because it's the New Year holiday," said Laurent Brun, head of the rail workers' union, on Tuesday.

The man leading the pension reform project, Laurent Pietraszewski, said on Tuesday the government would be "willing to compromise" in the negotiations, set to last throughout January.

But he insisted there will be no revisiting the plan to do away with special retirement regimes.

(CGTN)