Train and flight cancellations in Switzerland due to strikes in France What Vladimir Putin has in common with Stalin

The strikes against the pension reform in France will affect rail and air traffic with Switzerland on Tuesday and Wednesday. The routes of TGV Lyria between Paris and Geneva or Lausanne and between Basel and Zurich have been particularly badly affected.

On its website, SBB advises all travelers to cancel or postpone their planned trips before the strike days. From Lausanne or Geneva to Paris and in the opposite direction, 14 trains will be canceled on Tuesday.

Ten connections between Paris and Basel and Zurich will be canceled. In addition, train cancellations and delays are to be expected in cross-border regional traffic.

There must also be cancellations and restrictions in air traffic. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in Paris said it had asked airlines to cancel one of five flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle on Tuesday and Wednesday.

At the airports of Paris-Orly, Beauvais, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice and Toulouse, 30 percent of flights should be canceled. The Lufthansa Group and its airline Swiss expected handicaps until Friday and advised passengers to check their flight status before departure.

Pension reform is considered one of the most important projects of President Emmanuel Macron. The unions find the project unfair and ruthless. The government wants to gradually increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. In addition, the number of payment years required for a full pension must increase more rapidly.

The retirement age is currently 62 years. In fact, retirement starts later on average: those who have not paid in long enough to be entitled to a full pension continue to work longer. At age 67 there will then be a pension with no deductions, no matter how long it has been paid – this is what the government wants to keep. She wants to increase the monthly minimum pension to around 1,200 euros. (sda)