New strike in sight at the SNCF. After the movement of the controllers, this weekend, which led to the cancellation of 60% of the TGV and Intercités, a new day of strike is planned for Wednesday. And this time, it is all the employees of the group who are called upon to stop work, at the call of the CGT-Cheminots, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions. 20 minutes takes stock of this new day of strike.
Why are SNCF staff on strike?
The unions want to influence the annual wage negotiations (NAO), which open on Wednesday. They want to obtain the revaluation of wages for the year 2023 to face inflation (+- 2% in November). SUD-Rail, which argues that “the SNCF will announce record results”, therefore asks for 400 euros gross monthly in addition for all. For its part, Unsa (National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions) wants a 5% increase in all wages.
In the first half, SNCF announced a net profit of 928 million euros, against a loss of 780 million over the same period in 2021. But the company is facing the explosion of energy costs, while being forced to limit the rise in ticket prices.
What disruptions are expected?
According to the latest SNCF forecasts, disruptions are expected on the TER, TGV and Intercités lines.
- For TER, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est, Occitanie and PACA regions, and in Ile-de-France on lines C, D, E and N
- On the TGV and Intercités lines, cancellations are to be expected, in particular on the TGV Paris-Lyon axis due to a local movement of SNCF Réseau switchers, as well as for the TGVs south of Bordeaux.
On the main lines, the travelers concerned will be informed by email or SMS in the event of the cancellation of their train. In a press release issued on Monday, the SNCF promises in this case a full refund before the scheduled departure, or a free exchange on all trains where there is still space. In any case, customers are invited to check the circulation of trains this Tuesday, from 5 p.m.
Are other disruptions to be expected in the coming weeks?
The NAOs intervene in a tense period, since the controllers have already filed strike notices for the weekends of Christmas and New Year, and the signalmen for the weekend of departure on vacation, from 15 to December 19. On Saturday, the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, called for “collective responsibility” to avoid end-of-year strikes.
The controllers, who will be received by management on Thursday, are demanding that their bonuses be taken into account in the calculation of retirement. For the moment, management has proposed an increase in the work bonus of 600 euros per year and a “partial” integration of it “into the fixed salary in 2024”. The increase “is equivalent to around 40 euros net monthly” and is deemed insufficient by Didier Mathis, the secretary general of Unsa-Ferroviaire. But the union official wants to be optimistic to find a way out of the conflict.
As for the signalmen, “we are in a pattern of failure of social dialogue”, annoys Erik Meyer, federal secretary SUD-Rail. The latter complain of a chronic understaffing and of too low remuneration in relation to their responsibilities. They must be received by management on Friday.