rail
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in transport and distribution around the world.
Wildcat strikes continue on Belgian railways
Train drivers in Belgium are due to be returning to work following a wildcat strike yesterday which prompted transport minister André Antoine to demand they be sacked.
Drivers at the Onoz depot on the Namur-Luxembourg line walked out at 4am Monday 12 March in protest against a new annual leave system.
Canada: Rail strikers defy back to work calls
Workers who have been on strike for two weeks, against the wishes of the United Transportation Union, are to vote on a new one-year deal.
Wltribune.com reported that CN Rail and the United Transportation Union (UTU) have signed a tentative one-year agreement, ending a two-week walk out by 2,800 conductors and yard services employees.
The union remains in legal strike position pending the results of a ratification vote March 26.
Belgium: Strikes across rail network
Last Thursday a wildcat strike by train drivers at the Belgian station of Termonde lead to the cancellation of many services, a spokesman for the railway claimed not to know what had triggered the unofficial action.
A strike by conductors in Wallonia on Monday paralysed most of the rail services in the south of the country. The conductors were protesting at unsafe working conditions after three conductors were assaulted in the space of a few days.
Australia: Railway workers walk off over safety
Pacific National railway workers went on unofficial strike on Sunday, reportedly over safety issues.
Alison Ribbon reported that the strike was apparently unplanned and dubbed a "wildcat strike" by the railway union.
Safety issues surrounding Pacific National have been in the headlines recently, with three derailments involving the company's trains in less than a year.
A train carrying paper from Hobart to the Burnie port derailed near Ulverstone a week ago.
Egyptian railway drivers on strike
Last Saturday (20 January), at 12 noon, railway drivers of the railway agency announced the beginning of a strike in protest of the continued enforcement of article 18 of the bylaws considering the replacement of drivers suffering chronic illness.
According to this provision a driver suffering chronic medical illness is transferred to another position, even if lesser than his original one, where he received his full wage for two years, after which he received only his essential pay and social incentives which basically means a reduction by 50% of his wage.
Commuter fare strike hits Bath and Bristol trains
Hundreds of people yesterday refused to buy tickets for First Great Western rail services in the Bristol and Bath area, instead presenting fake "cattle class" tickets in protest at service cuts and fare hikes.
The Guardian reported that an unusual band of rebels - business people, civil servants and office clerks - risked a fine or jail yesterday by refusing to pay for their commuter journeys.
Claiming that the service in the Bristol and Bath area was so poor that it was not worth paying for, scores of passengers boarded their usual trains brandishing spoof tickets.
Israeli bosses demand legal action against general strike
An almost total shutdown of Israeli industry following a general strike has been threatened with legal action after The Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce have asked the National Labour Court to end the strike.
The Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) appealed to the National Labor Court Wednesday morning to order an end to the general strike in the public sector called by the Histadrut and to invite all relevant parties to an urgent discussion on the matter. The Association estimated that the strike would cost the economy NIS 500m.
A new kind of strike in France (Citroën etc.), 2005
Article about the 2005 strike at Citroen and other struggles and issues in the European car industry, and the political situation in France, including the left, the EU constitution, and a wildcat strike of rail workers.
CTA public hearings and rider outrage continue, 26 Oct 2004
Once again angry Chicago Transit Authority riders showed up to a public hearing about the CTA’s proposed service cuts, fare increases and layoffs on Monday night.
First day of fare strike descends on Chicago, 15 Dec 2004
December 15, 2004 -- Thousands of people rode the "L" and the bus for free today. This was part of a city-wide protest against the proposed CTA service cuts, job eliminations, and fare hikes.
