Channel tunnel traffic to resume as strike action ends
Services of Eurostar
By Chris Liakos and Maya Szaniecki, CNN
Paris (CNN) — A last-minute strike action that caused dozens of Eurostar cancelations on Thursday has ended.
Eurotunnel said in a statement that an agreement had been reached between its management and trade union representatives following a year-end bonus dispute.
It added that traffic would gradually resume following the deal.
“I welcome the responsible attitude of all those involved,” French transport minister Clement Beaune posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Services of Eurostar, the high-speed train service linking London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, had been majorly disrupted Thursday because of what the company called an “unexpected” strike action by the staff of Eurotunnel, the undersea rail link between the UK and France.
What was behind the dispute
In an statement to CNN, Eurostar said earlier Thursday that it has had to cancel “all trains to and from London until further notice,” dealing a blow to travelers during the busy Christmas travel period.
Posting on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday morning ET, Eurostar had said its services were “currently not able to proceed through the Channel Tunnel” and urged passengers to postpone their travel because of the “continuing uncertainty.”
Getlink, the French company operating Eurotunnel, said earlier on Thursday that the strike “by representatives of Eurotunnel’s French site staff unions has resulted in the complete interruption of service and the closure of our terminals in France and the UK.”
According to Getlink, the strike came after trade unions rejected a year-end bonus of 1,000 euros ($1,099) announced by management, calling for it to be “tripled.”
Beaune had earlier called for an immediate solution to the strike affecting trains between the UK and France.
“The blocking of the tunnel under the Channel is unacceptable. A solution must be found immediately,” he posted on X before the strike action ended.
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