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After two fatal rail accidents in two days, the leading trade union in Spain representing train drivers has called for a general sector strike.
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.
In Spain’s deadliest train accident since Santiago de Compostela 2013, two high-speed rail trains derailed on Sunday night in Adamuz.
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.
READ MORE: Rail expert says standards in Spain have ‘collapsed’ and passengers are treated ‘like cattle’ after two derailments in a week
A train on the R4 of Barcelona’s Rodalies commuter rail network crashed into a wall after it ran off the track between Gelida & Sant Sadurni.
It is believed that the retaining wall separating AP-7 from the railway collapsed due to heavy rain. The area was covered by a severe weather alert, warning of the persistent downpours caused by Storm Harry.
The accident killed the driver, a 28-year old trainee from Sevilla.
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.
READ MORE: DISPATCH: A heavy silence fills the air… even as Spain’s king and queen arrive to pay their respects to at least 41 dead in Cordoba
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, then the union has advised drivers to use good judgement and slow their speeds well below the speed limit if they feel that weather conditions or poor infrastructure might endanger them.
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’.
The union said: “It’s unacceptable for those who are responsible for the daily operation of the rail transport to have their physical integrity compromised as they perform their duties.”
Click here for more Spain News by The Olive Press.
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