The FINANCIAL — PARIS, A 36-hour strike by French railway workers beginning on October 19 is expected to cause chaos on French railways, the country's media has reported.
Three of four main trade unions of the country's national railway company SNCF have called on to protest against the planned restructuring of the company's freight sector, which is expected to make some 6,000 workers redundant.
In addition, unions are worried by unconfirmed reports that SNCF plans to transfer the freight transportation sector to a new subsidiary, breaking up the company.
During the strike, railway traffic will be cut to between one third and one half on various railway directions. The action will affect passengers of TGV, Corail, regional TER services and Paris's RER network.
SNCF is forced to cut down the freight sector amid falling demand. In addition, rail freight sector was opened for private companies in 2006, causing further losses for the national company.
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