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Rail workers march to stop plans for EU-wide rail break-up

12 November 2008

Thousands of rail workers will protest in Paris tomorrow against continuing European Union plans to force governments and railway companies to split up national railways in the latest stage of a relentless ideological campaign to restructure and privatise them. They will gather from across Europe to take part in a demonstration called by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) against EU plans that could lead to the complete fragmentation of the continent’s railways.

The demonstrators will gather from 11.00 on Thursday 13 November at Place de la Bastille, Paris, then march to Montparnasse at 13:30. The demonstration is expected to finish around 17:00.

A delegation from the ETF – the European arm of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) – will also meet with Dominique Busserau, Secretary of State in charge of transport, who is representing the French Presidency of the Transport Council of Ministers.

ETF Deputy General Secretary Sabine Trier, commented: “In the last few years the EU, the European Parliament and the Council of Transport Ministers have adopted three legislative packages for the railway sector. The consequences have been total restructuring, fragmentation and privatisation, and for workers more stress, less job security, longer hours and a cut to the workforce of half. Now; the Commission is continuing to promote a railway package which would carry on these policies, including the destruction of holding companies and outsourcing or selling off of vital resources and the trading of infrastructure slots.”

“Tomorrow European rail workers will be saying ‘Enough is enough’ and protesting against more liberalisation and fragmentation, for publicly owned railways but more importantly, for environmentally sound, properly funded, customer responsive rail networks.”

For more details please see the leaflet for tomorrow's march attached below.

For further information please contact: Sabine Trier, ETF. Tel. 0032 2 2854667; mobile 0032 477 512 814; e-mail: s.trier@etf-europe.org. Website: www.etf-europe.org

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