Swiss Federal Railways workers releasing balloons and demands in Zurich.
Keystone
Some 1,400 rail workers took to the streets across the country on Monday to protest a package of cuts and reforms planned by the Swiss Federal Railways.
The demonstrations, called for by the Union for public transport workers were spread across several Swiss cities: Geneva, Lausanne, Olten, Bern, and Zurich, where the largest event brought together about 350 workers in the late afternoon.
Though not an official strike, the gatherings passed off in a spirit of defiance, with the workers releasing balloons to which their demands – a softening of proposed wage cuts and liberalisation of firing procedures – were attached.
“Social regression is not negotiated, it is combatted,” was the message, referring to current negotiations between union and management around changes to the workers’ collective agreement.
The talks began in February and are planned to continue until September. The trade union promised further action if their position was not more considered.
“We are asking the Swiss Federal Railways management to come back to earth. As a public service business, it must act as an exemplary role model in the social domain,” said union spokesman Christian Fankhauser.
The proposed reforms come on the back of further recent cuts such as the so-called RailFit 20/30 package, which plans to get rid of 1,400 rail jobs by 2020.
Switzerland is renowned for its rail system – punctuality and range – which is consistently rated one of the worlds’ best. Swiss people also use the train as a form of transport more than any other country.
The Swiss government, through the Federal Office of Transport, is responsible for planning and funding national infrastructure, as well as projects it supports in neighbouring countries, notably France and Italy. It co-funds regional services with the 26 cantons.
The Federal Railways is the national operator. Since 1999 it has been a company operating on commercial lines, although all the shares are owned by the government.
There are also a host of regional operators. Train timetables are designed to interconnect with other forms of public transport, including “post buses” serving rural and remote mountain destinations not served by train.
More
More
Trains are taking the strain, even in Switzerland
This content was published on
Like in other parts of the world, Swiss trains are also struggling to cope with increased demand.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Up front with a Swiss train driver
This content was published on
Driving a Swiss train is a dream job for this woman, who doesn’t fear she’ll be replaced by driverless trains anytime soon.
Self-driving trains pilot project is on the horizon
This content was published on
According to Swiss public radio, SRFExternal link, the ‘Südostbahn’, South-East Railways, which operates between St Gallen and Lucerne, is planning a pilot project with self-driving trains. A pre-study is near completion. The director of the railway company, Thomas Küchler, did not want to be drawn on which stretch the trains would be trialled on, but…
Digital future holds promises for train passengers
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways has presented its new business strategy, striving for more efficiency to cope with an increasing number of passengers.
Remote-controlled trains? Swiss rail bets on technology
This content was published on
Mobility is undergoing profound and extensive change and other modes of transport are catching up with trains in terms of price and environmental advantage, the Federal Railways acknowledged on Monday. There is increasing demand for “personalised, intermodal, networked and simple mobility”, it said in a statement. Targeted investments and increased innovation are at the forefront…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.