France's Railway Company SNCF Lost $443Mln Over 20 Days of Pension Reform Strike - Head
The first 20 days of a nationwide strike against the pension reform have cost French national railway company SNCF 400 million euros ($443 million), the SNCF chief said on Tuesday in an interview with Le Monde newspaper
"The conflict is not over yet. And it is too early to speak about the total cost of this conflict for the company. According to our estimates, the loss of income is 20 million euros per day," Jean-Pierre Farandou said.
Thus, with the strike entering its 20th day, the company has lost 400 million euros.
"This is already a significant amount. This conflict will have a strong impact on the accounts for 2019, especially since we have not yet completed the calculation of the economic consequences," Farandou added.
The nationwide strike began on December 5 in response to the government's plans to replace 42 different pension schemes with a universal, points-based system. The decision has angered train workers, teachers, police and other public service employees.
The next largest protest action against the reform is slated for January 9.