The Spanish Union of Railway Drivers and Assistants (Semaf) has announced a strike timetable on Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) networks: Metrovalencia (13–19, 24 and 26 March) and Alicante Tram (13, 16, 18, 20, 24 and 26 March).
Semaf claims the action follows exhausted negotiations with FGV management, with drivers decrying the worrying normalisation of safety shortfalls such as temporary speed restrictions, faults on new interlockings, issues with on-board kit, rundown rolling stock and obsolete infrastructure.
Though Semaf drove key gains like maximum driving hours, they slam FGV for lax interpretation, letting trains run in dodgy conditions.
The union demands urgent fixes: infrastructure renewal, scrapping operational risks, better signalling and interlockings, proper lighting on tracks and platforms, emergency protocols and specialist training.
José Javier Bleda, Semaf’s secretary for regional railways, accuses FGV of running the show with stone-age methods, belittling drivers as the final safety backstop.
Meanwhile, they push for fair collective bargaining, including job grading that recognises the civil and penal liability of the role, family-unfriendly rosters, the heavy physical and mental toll, and constant exposure to discipline compared to other grades.