PARIS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The French government on Tuesday dismissed the threat of rail worker strikes protesting planned reform.
"I do not believe for a moment that unions including CGT... are able to make the French in captivity for very long weeks," Public Action and Accounts Minister Gerard Darmanin said, noting the need " to take courageous acts" to save a debt-ridden company.
"Many people remember 1995, I think we're not at all in the same mood," he told RTL radio.
In 1995, a right-wing government led by Alain Juppe planned to reform welfare system and end preferential working terms of rail workers, a move that triggered three-week strike and led to his resignation.
On Monday, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe unveiled reforms of state rail operator SNCF which is struggling with the debts of 46.6 billion euros (57.49 billion U.S. dollars), mainly due to generous pension system.
"The situation is alarming," Philippe warned, adding that "Whether or not they take the train, the French are paying more and more for a public service that works less and less well."
With the aim, he proposed to scrap the special rail worker status that allows workers to retire on full pension at 52, a decade before other French employees.
As many previous governments failed in reforming the public rail system, President Emmanuel Macron is taking on the challenge and ready to push the reform through by decree, avoiding a vote in parliament where he has a comfortable majority.
"I do not place myself in a logic of conflictuality, war, showdown. I want to move forward to find a lasting solution to the future of the railway system which goes badly," Philippe told state-run France 2 television.
The country's four unions - CGT, Sud, Unsa and CFDT - met on Tuesday to decide their action.
Speaking to Le Parisien newspaper, Laurent Brun, general secretary of the CGT-Cheminots said they are considering one-month strike " to make the government give in."
As to the CFDT, it called for a rolling strike from March 12. (1 euro = 1.23 U.S. dollar)
