Stranded passengers and travel disruptions on third day of Rodalies railway strike
Only 53% of scheduled trains before 9 am as drivers continue industrial action
The effects of the Rodalies Renfe train drivers' strike, now on its third day, continue to be felt throughout Catalonia, with widespread delays, cancellations, and 12 kilometers of traffic in the Barcelona area as many commuters have resorted to using private vehicles.
Es mantenen #cues destacables:
— Trànsit (@transit) October 4, 2021
🔴 AP-7: Sta Perpètua-St Cugat
🔴 C-17: Canovelles-Parets
🔴 C-58: Nus-Ripollet ↔
🔴 C-60: Argentona-la Roca
🔴 C-31: Montgat-St Adrià
🔴 A-2: St Andreu Barca-Cornellà
🔴 B-23: Papiol-St Feliu Llob.
ℹ https://t.co/7bzpWB9BQj pic.twitter.com/djWchIN95u
24 trains were canceled by 6:30 am on Monday morning, while only 53% of those scheduled before 9 am actually ran, despite minimum services being set at 85%. Those that did arrive on time were far more crowded than usual.
As was the case on Thursday and Friday last week, the Semaf trade union and Rodalies Renfe have exchanged accusations, with the railway company accusing workers of not complying with minimum service requirements and employees accusing the company of not correctly informing them of who was supposed to work.
Renfe has begun to notify the train drivers who are expected to provide minimum services via email, certified mail, and personally, and has filed at least 31 reports for workers who have failed to comply.
In an interview with Catalunya Ràdio on Monday morning, Catalan vice president Jordi Puigneró affirmed that the labor department would have to look into this as 85% of trains were "clearly" not running.
"They don't give you any information," Marian Mayo, a commuter at Sants, one of Barcelona's major stations, told the Catalan News Agency. "They tell you the train's not running because of the strike and that's it. Sometimes they don't say anything at all and you'll be waiting and you don't know what to do," she lamented.
The number of trains is set to increase steadily until 2 pm, when another two-hour strike will begin. Service disruptions are also expected from 6 pm to 10 pm.
Five more days of strike ahead
The union will also be on strike on October 5, 7, 8, 11, and 12.
Workers want more drivers to be hired to cover vacancies and are against the management of Rodalies possibly being transferred from the Spanish government to Catalonia.
Although this is a very long-standing demand by authorities in Barcelona and Madrid has not suggested any intention of transferring this service, drivers are striking preemptively against potentially losing their benefits.