Renfe negotiates with the train drivers’ unions to resume the Rodalies service
Renfe’s negotiations with the unions continue. Renfe apologizes to users and says that the objective is to recover the service as soon as possible. “We are in permanent contact with the unions,” explained Antonio Carmona, spokesperson for Renfe, after the start of the second day of service stoppage in Catalonia, in this case due to a protest by train drivers.
Carmona has said that the file opened by the Government, announced this Thursday, is an administrative procedure. “Today what we are focused on is reaching an agreement to recover the service. Yesterday all the checks and white marks were carried out,” Carmona pointed out.
However, the drivers demand safety guarantees and will meet with the companies and the Government at 11:00. The train drivers, according to Renfe, ask for various security measures. “They are technical issues, the unions must explain them,” says Carmona.
The Government said on Wednesday that there could be incidents during the resumption. “It will not be an easy day,” said two councilors, but Thursday started with absolute paralysis in the commuter network, a service that 400,000 people use daily. “We are angry because we cannot guarantee the mobility of thousands of people,” Carmona acknowledges.
The union with the greatest representation among machinists, SEMAF, considers that Adif has not presented any document certifying the safety of the Rodalies lines. “This morning, most of the train drivers have reported to their jobs, but they have not started the service,” reports Renfe.
