Ferry services resume after French blockade ends
Ferry Online Travel News 19/10/2009
Weekend blockade at Port of Calais sees passengers stranded at Dover
Cross-channel ferry services, disrupted because of a French workers' blockade at the Port of Calais over the weekend, have now resumed normal services
The CDFT union staged a 24-hour walkout to protest planned job cuts. SeaFrance had announced plans to cut 650 French jobs earlier this year, and had also said it was looking to reduce its fleet to curb costs. The company had cited a steep fall in the cross-channel freight market as the reason behind the proposed cuts.
SeaFrance has since revised its job-cut figure to 550. It said the cuts would apply mainly to onboard personnel, and that the Paris-based company's parent company SNCF would provide around 400 jobs for SeaFrance workers.
However, more talks and negotiations are expected, with a meeting scheduled to take place today.
The 24-hour strike by SeaFrance workers saw the company suspend its services from Friday until Saturday. After a number of sailing vessels from Dover were prevented from docking at the Port of Calais on Friday, ferry services like P&O Ferries suspended all crossings.
The strike left several ferry passengers waiting at Dover's Kent port. Some passengers were transferred over to the Eurotunnel while the blockade continued.
P&O Ferries have now resumed normal services, after the blockade was lifted and ferries were allowed to dock at the port.
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