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J. González
Madrid
Tuesday, 4 March 2025, 13:32
The rail unions representing workers at Spain's train operator Renfe and the Adif railway infrastructure company have followed through on their threat and called for seven days of strikes between March and April in protest against the transfer of ownership over the Rodalies system (the regional railways system in Catalonia) from central government to the Generalitat (Catalan regional government). The nationwide strikes will take place on 17, 19, 24, 26 and 28 March, and 1 and 3 April. This coincides with high-demand days in certain cities, such as Valencia where the Fallas celebrations take place.
The main thrust of the protest is the transfer of the Rodalies service from Renfe, the national train operator, to the Generalitat. This transfer would give more control over the service to the Generalitat, instead of Renfe overseeing it as part of the national rail network.
Representatives of the unions have stated that the Ministry of Transport has breached the agreement signed in November 2023, which came as a response to another threat of strikes. More than a year after the agreement was signed, Renfe and Adif have denounced that minister Óscar Puente's department "is not fulfilling any of the 15 points agreed". Among these promises, it was agreed that the unions would be part of the negotiation table for the transfer of the Catalan Cercanías services and that the continuity of Renfe and Adif in providing the service would be ensured.
"We are mere recipients of information," said the union representatives. "These measures represent a total rupture of previous agreements, given that the solutions adopted by the Ministry in coordination with the Generalitat are opposed to what was agreed."
According to the unions, "the public company is being allowed to deteriorate through actions such as not bidding for new freight contracts, hindering the work of sales staff in attracting customers or blocking the operation of trains due to inaction by the management centres". Renfe acknowledges the right to strike and "considers it a priority to explore all avenues of negotiation with the unions in order to reach solutions that avoid future disruptions to the service".
Last weekend (1-2 March), the R2 South and R4 lines of Rodalies de Catalunya suffered widespread delays and altered frequencies throughout the day due to the situation of union unrest, as a result of the announcement of demonstrations carried out by the trade union centres in protest against the forthcoming transfer of Rodalies.
The effects were particularly noticeable on Saturday 1 March, when 106 trains were cancelled and there were average delays of 30 minutes on the R2 South and R4. In addition, the extension of schedule planned for 1-5 March between Sitges and Barcelona for the Carnival had to be suspended (the Sitges Carnival is well-known and many people travel from Barcelona to Sitges every year).
Renfe implemented a programme as of Sunday to minimise the effects and alleviate the situation. The most important measures include the availability of reserve staff, increase of staff in the operations management and information centres.
Renfe sent several communiqués over the weekend to explain the impact on the Rodalies service and kept passengers informed through its usual channels.
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