European round-up

French unions defeat “minimum service” requirement ACTION by eight French rail unions has defeated a government plan to impose a “minimum service” requirement on French Rail [SNCF] before entering into a dispute.Tens of thousands of railway employees also demonstrated in Paris against SNCF’s free market policies, attacks on the railways as a public service and possible job losses. The unions signed a draft conflict prevention agreement establishing improved negotiation procedures to be followed before industrial disputes. However, the accord does not include the conser- vative government’s aim to curb the right to strike to ensure minimum transport requirements during a dispute. The accord protects workers’ rights and conditions for the travelling public and includes fast track access to top management for urgent talks in case of a looming dispute.Two of the unions, which together represent 20 per cent of rail workers, declined to initial the agreement, though one of them is considering signing the final text. Transeuropa Ferries upgrades sea route SLOVENIAN-OWNED Transeuropa Ferries has put another freighter between Ramsgate and Ostend and is now taking passengers on its mixed ferries as long as they are travelling in a car.The ferries runs four return voyages daily between the two ports.Transeuropa Ferries operates a low-price policy using Slovenian crews on old tonnage which it acquires and then refurbishes. Slovenia became a member of the European Union last May. Spanish maintain rail competition plan SPANISH rail unions are concerned that the new Socialist Party government is to maintain its conservative predecessor’s policy of opening RENFE, the publicly owned rail network, to competition in line with EU directives. The previous right-wing government, defeated in elections following the terrorist attacks on Madrid trains, had earmarked the progressive liberalisation of the network for May. Rail unions welcomed the new government’s decision to suspend the plan. However, it has now taken the first step to privatising its rail network by separating passenger and freight operations. From 2005, RENFE will no longer be responsible for management and 16,000 of its 31,000 workforce will be transferred to ADIF, a new company established to maintain the infrastructure. Germany’s Deutsche Bahn freeze orders DEUTSCHE Bahn [DB], Germany’s rail operator, has frozen a huge order for new rolling stock. It intended to spend £700 million for 466 new locomotives but has suspended the orders as long as the network remains in deficit. In a surprise move, the government has also refused to transpose a European Union directive which demands rail privatisation into German law. Parliament has suspended a law that would have sold a first tranche of DB shares in spring 2006. Therefore, while Berlin is demanding that EU member states sell off rail industries along EU guidelines it is refusing to do so itself. Seafarers protest over job losses MORE than 100 seafarers demonstrated in Brest against the reflagging of a third of France Telecom Marine’s cable layers from the full French flag to its Kergulen second register with the result that Madagascar nationals replace 160 French ratings. Brest branch CGT seafarers’ union spokesman Jean-Paul Hellequin said the Madagascar seafarers are paid France’s mini- mum monthly wage with six weeks’ leave for six months at sea compared to eight weeks on, eight weeks off for French seafarers under the collective agreement. About half the 160 French ratings have either been granted early retirement provisions or been reclassified to land-based jobs at France Telecom.The remaining 80 will be paid until jobs have been found for them. EUROPEANROUND-UP MEMBERS of the EU parliament endorsed the new EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot last month despite his failure to disclose a fraud conviction in connection with a French political party funding scandal. Mr Barrot also won backing from EU president Jose Manuel Barroso, who had already been forced to remove far right Italian anti-gay campaigner Rocco Buttiglione from his original 24-strong commission. Mr Barroso made plain that he “would have preferred” the French politician to have made public his conviction before he was appoint- ed to the regional policy post in the previous commission on April 1. The new transport commissioner, who will be charged with imposing EU directives demanding the wholesale privatisation of rail industries across the bloc, was convicted in 2000 for “abuse of confi- dence” in a party funding case involving the ‘Centre des démocrates sociaux’(CDS), an organisation he headed. The CDS was a precursor to Jacques Chirac’s ‘Union pour un Mouvement Populaire’ (UMP) – and Mr Barrot is a close political ally of the right wing French president. However, the eight month suspended jail sentence he received was automatically wiped clean by a 1995 presidential amnesty – introduced by the incoming French President Chirac. MEPs back controversial new EU transport commissioner FRAUD: EU Transport Commissioner-designate Jacques Barrot backed by MEPs for the job despite concealing a conviction for fraud. 32