Reorganization, job cuts: is the rail service in danger in these Lot and Aveyron stations?

An open letter was sent this Thursday, November 7 to local and regional elected officials, parliamentarians and prefects. A letter intended to be a cry of alarm from the CGT union of QNEMP railway workers (north-eastern Midi-Pyrénées quarter). In question, a reorganization project targeting the stations of Gramat, in Lot, and Capdenac, in Aveyron. A project which has been in the works since the beginning of autumn for the unions. This is not confirmed by the SNCF.

However, the situation could not be clearer. According to the CGT, the reorganization project should lead to the “removal of a traffic officer position in Gramat”, the “removal of the department head position in Capdenac” as well as the reduction of the workforce necessary to compensate for absences. The union also points out in its letter that “all the points of agreement at the end of the conflict of December 2020 […] have still not been respected, in particular the opening of Assier station on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.”

The fragile situation in Capdenac

“For the Gramat station, management considers that since there is no crossing, it is not useful for traffic, although it allows traffic to flow more smoothly in the event of a delay and minimizes its impact “, summarizes Gilles Tillet for the union secretariat. “In Capdenac, assistance to the traffic officer in place is essential.” Concretely, according to the CGT, these deletions would make it “impossible for crossings in these intermediate stations during unforeseen circumstances, further worsening punctuality and preventing connections for trains leaving or coming from the capital”. More generally, the union is concerned that the “cutting of all these positions will of course degrade the service but they are also job opportunities that the young people of our cities will no longer have, with the loss of jobs as a result. attractiveness of our departments.”

This new organization could come into force at the start of next year (again according to the CGT). In the meantime, a possible change of gear in their management, the railway workers do not rule out mobilization on the weekend of November 11, “if nothing changes between now and then”, concedes Gilles Tillet. “We are already struggling to provide the current service in the event of absence. There are often closed stations or canceled trains. We manage the misery here…”