CCOO and UGT have called a partial strike on the Rodalies network for May 27 and June 5, with a joint protest focused on salary increases, staff expansion, and greater safety for workers and users.
The call comes just three months after the agreement that allowed the last strike in February to be called off. This is the main tension in the conflict. The unions now maintain that some of those commitments are not being met, including the presence of a ticket inspector on each medium-distance train.
CCOO and UGT registered the strike after denouncing that the February agreements are not being met
Both organizations registered the call on Friday, one day after confirming they were considering the measure. Despite the announcement, they are keeping the mediation channel with the Generalitat de Catalunya open to try to resolve their claims before the set dates.
The core of their demands combines three fronts. On the one hand, they demand salary increases. On the other, they ask for more staff on the network. They also demand security reinforcements for both staff and passengers.
This package of demands also includes the fulfillment of the agreements reached in February. CCOO and UGT denounce that one of the agreed measures, the incorporation of a ticket inspector on each medium-distance train, is not being implemented.
The new protest is planned without SEMAF, which does not foresee mobilizations for now
The previous strike on Rodalies occurred between February 9 and 11, in the midst of the railway crisis in Catalonia. Those strikes were called by the drivers after the fatal accidents in Adamuz and Gelida and the deterioration of the service.
On the first day of that conflict, CCOO, UGT, and SEMAF reached an agreement with the Ministry of Transport. CGT, on the other hand, maintained the strikes.
Now the union scenario is changing. SEMAF, which is the majority among drivers, has confirmed that it is not planning any mobilizations for the moment and that it is focusing its efforts on the fulfillment and development of the agreements that allowed the previous strike to be called off.
The two days of partial strike announced by CCOO and UGT are scheduled for May 27 and June 5.