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Ongoing Eurostar disruption due to ferry strikes and migrant crisis
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Well, that'll keep the Ukip brigade happy.
ushawk
Established Member
Eurotunnel have resumed services with a 2.5 hour wait.
Eurostar to remain suspended for the rest of the day due to damage caused by fires started on the tracks.
Eurostar to remain suspended for the rest of the day due to damage caused by fires started on the tracks.
One would hope that the trade union could be sued and taken to the cleaners.
The actual perps should be prosecuted as well but it would seem that the culture to prevent criminal damage of this kind is not present in the French authorities.
RichmondCommu
Established Member
Given the power that the Unions have in France the chances of that happening are very slim.
Is it not about time the EU had standard industrial action legislation like we have in the UK such as the need for a ballot (with an appropriate threshold), strike action notice periods and secondary action made illegal?
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Anyone know what that is? Is it perhaps reduced capacity due to signalling problems (burnt cables)?
Robertj21a
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The French would ignore any such EU ruling. They already ignore whatever suits them.
Tim R-T-C
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Imagine the ungodly strikes in France that would follow any such ruling.
Hard to believe that blocking railway lines in a dispute with an entirely unrelated company could be considered anything but criminal. It would be like the 1980s Yorkshire miners blockading a fuel refinery.
Hard to believe that blocking railway lines in a dispute with an entirely unrelated company could be considered anything but criminal. It would be like the 1980s Yorkshire miners blockading a fuel refinery.
But they are related (assuming that the line is run by Eurotunnel). When SeaFrance when into liquidation Eurotunnel bought the ships, MyFerryLink was then created as a co-operative to run then. The competition commission didn't like this arrangement so the lease is not being renewed and DFDS is buying the ships. The whole reason for the strike is that this results in MyFerryLink no longer operating after the 2nd of July.
Walnut_rede
Member
However, curiously for this French strike the apparent cause was our competition commission who have put them out of buisiness. Funny old world.
Flamingo
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I am reminded of the apocryphal headline "Heavy Fog in Channel - Continent Cut Off"! 
I am reminded of the apocryphal headline "Heavy Fog in Channel - Continent Cut Off"!
It was certainly reported that way here. Most of the reports were about illegal immigrants and not about how the strikers could gain access to the railway line and carry out criminal damage. There is plenty of footage of them and they even flew their union flags proudly so it would seem possible that ES could mount action against them in the French courts and also demand the police to arrest the perps. No comments about flying pigs please.
I imagine the daily mail thought xmas had come early.
I am reminded of the apocryphal headline "Heavy Fog in Channel - Continent Cut Off"!
Completely off topic, but this in turn reminds me that in the days when there were summer flights between Exeter and the Isles of Scilly, I was once delayed on a flight back to Exeter, and the station ticket office then endorsed our tickets back to London with the words:
"Fog in the Scillies - please pass".
I was expecting to have to buy replacement tickets as the train our Advances were valid on had long since departed.
Why should the EU mandate UK-style legislation rather than French or German or Swedish etc etc style legislation ?
I know, why not allow each country to have their own legislation.
Why should the EU mandate UK-style legislation rather than French or German or Swedish etc etc style legislation ?
I know, why not allow each country to have their own legislation.
Harmonised rules make the single market work better. Differing regulations lead to one country having an unfair advantage over another and also increased red tape for cross border industries as they need to consider multiple rules rather than just one. This is why we have EU directives.
it's quite common for French strikes to picket and blockade beyond their own "workplace". Calais harbour has many times been affected by fishermen blockading the seaward entrance and farmers blockading the landward entrance. They've found again and again that forcing the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office to have a word with the French ambassador to the court of St James helps their cause no end...
telstarbox
Established Member
Not to disregard the poor conditions in the Calais camp, but I feel bad for the HGV drivers as well - some migrants are trying to break into their locked vehicles but the drivers are potentially looking at a manslaughter charge if someone gets into their vehicle and then dies in transit.
It seems now that paying ordinary car drivers to knowingly smuggle someone in is a growing problem - but perhaps more successful than lorries that can be checked in a number of ways.
I do suspect that an awful lot of these migrants are getting in eventually though. If you stop seeing them, they haven't likely gone home but have simply made it.
Thus, we shouldn't automatically be too happy if we see numbers going down in and around Calais!
I do suspect that an awful lot of these migrants are getting in eventually though. If you stop seeing them, they haven't likely gone home but have simply made it.
Thus, we shouldn't automatically be too happy if we see numbers going down in and around Calais!
Quite. Never underestimate the resourcefulness that comes from desperation.
I wonder how easy it would be to get in through the Channel Islands?
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Not quite. The MCA required Eurotunnel to sell the ferry business.
Looks like nobody wanted the business as a going concern.
DFDS are taking the 2 passenger ships, presumably to replace 2 of their older ships somewhere.
I saw that Eurotunnel will be keeping one of the three ships (Nord Pas de Calais) for dangerous freight.
This was originally the SNCF train ferry on Dover-Dunkerque, I don't know if it is still configured for rail vehicles.
cactustwirly
Established Member
The court ruling got overturned, therefore Eurotunnel could continue running the ferries. It's just they thought it was more hassle than it was worth, and DFDS offered a good offer for the ships.
Indeed, and the directives have to be agreed by our own parliament, unless we have previously agreed that they are in a category where we don't have to do so. We are always in charge of this aspect.
Making sure trade unionists do not behave as criminals should be one of the areas of cooperation. I have heard admiring voices about French trade union anarchy, farmers dumping slurry on council office entrances, but you will not hear them from me. In this case the safety of thousands of rail travellers was put in danger.
HSTEd
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A massive barricade of burning tyres and hay bales is actually one of the less dangerous things you could put on a railway track.
It's obvious and takes time to prepare to the point where it becomes dangerous - which means the trains stop before anything happens.
Now if they had got a few people with the big adjustable spanners you see on marine vessels to go down on the track and start loosening the fishplates joining lengths of CWR together.... that is a different matter.
It's obvious and takes time to prepare to the point where it becomes dangerous - which means the trains stop before anything happens.
Now if they had got a few people with the big adjustable spanners you see on marine vessels to go down on the track and start loosening the fishplates joining lengths of CWR together.... that is a different matter.
Not just in France - police in the Netherlands are threatening to disrupt the Tour de France next weekend.
Flamingo
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"Excuse me Sir, is this your bike? You do realise you have no lights or rear reflector on it?"
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