An unexpected strike by French Eurotunnel workers disrupted train services between Paris and London on Thursday, just days before Christmas.
The start of the strike caused traffic chaos, forcing several trains to return to Paris shortly before reaching London.
Thousands of passengers remained waiting for train service to resume at Paris’ Gare du Nord train station.
Getlink, the company that operates the tunnel, said a strike by French workers disrupted train services between Paris and London and temporarily closed several passenger terminals in France and the United Kingdom.
According to the company, the union dispute is linked to the size of the year-end bonuses. While Getlink offered each employee a bonus of 1,000 euros in December, employees are asking for three times the amount.
Reuters news agency was unable to contact the union representing Eurotunnel workers at the time of writing this story.
French Transport Minister Clement Beaune called the strike unacceptable.
“We need to find a solution immediately”, wrote the minister on his social account X (formerly Twitter).
Eurostar, which operates the trains, advises its customers to postpone their travel plans by at least one day if possible.
The period before and after the holidays sees higher passenger numbers than usual, which is why the potential impact of strikes in the transport sector is particularly high during this period.
2023-12-21 16:35:00
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