Conflict erupts at Ouigo: strike to be announced over controversial dismissal of driver

The Spanish Union of Railway Drivers and Assistants ( Semaf ) met its executive committee on Wednesday to announce the call for several days of strike at Ouigo, a subsidiary of the French company SnCF in Spain, due to the dismissal of a worker that it considers unjustified. 

This is what union sources explained to Servimedia, after the meeting with the company at the Madrid Institute of Mediation and Arbitration (IRMA), a legal prerequisite for calling a strike, ended without an agreement

Semaf , representing almost all of the company’s 97 drivers, has decided to go on strike to defend compliance with the Collective Agreement and the protection of employment, which it believes has been violated by the dismissal of this worker, without any cause that can justify it.

According to the union, “the unjustified management of the operator’s human resources, which culminated in the dismissal without cause of a driver, is the trigger for the protest ,” as it “systematically violates the labor rights recognized in both the collective agreement and the workers’ statute“.

Furthermore, Semaf has regretted that it has been receiving information about pressure exerted by the drivers’ superiors to comply with the scheduled operation, which could conflict with operational safety regulations and agreed working conditions.

OUIGO VERSION

For its part, Ouigo has argued that the dismissed worker was not prepared for the position and that it offered him an alternative unrelated to driving, which was rejected.

He also argued that, after implementing a training and support plan, the results “continued to be insufficient for a position of such responsibility“.

“This approach is aligned with our concern for safety“, the company stated, maintaining that “the dismissal respects the collective bargaining agreement and the disciplinary procedure“.

“We reiterate our commitment to fulfilling the signed agreement and express our willingness and best efforts to listen to proposals for improvement and maintain fluid and beneficial working relationships“. the company stated.

In fact, he highlighted that in just over a year it has gone from 250 to 450 employees and has made 57 new hires for the position of machinist , reaching a total of 97 currently .

Finally, he explained that he regularly measures employee satisfaction , obtaining a score of 8.1 out of 10 , a figure he describes as “significantly higher than the Spanish market average“.