A LEADING trade union representing train drivers in Spain is calling for a general strike across the entire sector after two deadly rail accidents in just two days.
In a statement, the Spanish Union of Railway Drivers (SEMAF) said it would launch industrial action ‘in order to give legality and protection to the protests by workers and users, in order to demand that the safety and reliability of the network be guaranteed’.
The union said ‘the constant deterioration of the railway network’ was ‘unacceptable’ after two separate derailments in Andalucia and Catalunya claimed the lives of two drivers and dozens of passengers.
On Sunday evening, two high-speed trains derailed in Adamuz, Cordoba, in Spain’s deadliest rail accident since 80 people were killed in Santiago de Compostela in 2013.
At least 42 people – including the driver of an Alvia train operated by government-owned Renfe – are known to have died after carriages on a Madrid-bound Iryo service carrying over 300 passengers crossed onto an adjacent line and collided with an oncoming train destined for Huelva.
On Tuesday evening, a train running on the R4 line of Barcelona’s Rodalies commuter network came off the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadurni after crashing into a wall.
The retaining wall separating the railway from the AP-7 motorway is believed to have collapsed after heavy rainfall, with the area covered by a weather alert warning of persistent downpours from Storm Harry.
The driver of the train, identified as a 28-year-old trainee from Sevilla, was killed in the accident.
According to emergency services, at least 40 other people were injured – including five seriously.
SEMAF is demanding ‘criminal liability for those responsible for ensuring the safety of railway infrastructure’ following the accidents, which have raised urgent questions about the safety standards of a network once proudly labelled as one of Europe’s finest.
On Tuesday, SEMAF’s executive committee demanded that Renfe suspend the commuter service in Catalunya, adding that normal services should not resume ‘without sufficient safety guarantees’.
The union is also demanding the closure of parts of the railway network ‘in situations similar to Catalunya due to adverse weather conditions’, urging drivers to ensure ‘their safety be guaranteed on the route to be travelled’.
If not, the union has told drivers to use their own judgement and slow down well below recommended speed limits if they believe weather conditions or sub-par infrastructure may endanger their own safety.
Spain’s largest trade union, the Worker’s Commissions (CCOO) has also criticised the current situation, saying in a statement that ‘the safety of railway workers and those who use this public service cannot continue in the current situation’.
“It is unacceptable that those who ensure the daily operation of rail transport should see their physical integrity compromised while performing their work,” the union added.
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