“Red” Week at SNCF: Why are railway workers starting a strike this Monday, May 5?

Rail workers are seeing red. At the call of the CGT (General Confederation of Labour), drivers and agents of the commercial train service (ASCT, or controllers) are called to strike, starting this Monday, May 5. "At present, management intends to skip the mandatory annual negotiations (NAO) in 2025, postponing the deadline to January 2026. This is not acceptable," assures Cédric Robert, federal secretary of the CGT railway workers.

Its union is even considering a "black week" in the Île-de-France region. SNCF has already announced disruptions on the RER and Transilien lines it operates, starting Monday. For its part, SUD Rail intends to build a movement with a gradual increase over the week: depot agents on May 6 and drivers the following day. Then, ticket inspectors are invited to walk out from May 9 to 11. Beyond their ticket inspection duties, the 8,000 ASCTs are essential for travel safety. Their presence is mandatory on board TGV trains.

"We are far from a black week, there will be no week of standstill, but a week as normal as possible," SNCF Voyageurs CEO Christophe Fanichet told AFP on Sunday regarding TGV traffic. On the other hand, Fabien Villedieu (SUD rail) warns that "very significant disruptions" are to be expected from Wednesday, with the influential National Collective ASCT (CNA) planning to join the movement at the end of the week.

This rail workers' social mobilization is based on two main demands. First, the CGT and SUD rail unions are denouncing the consequences of the introduction of Score and Hastus software, due to start in 2024, which pushes the flexibility of train crew schedules to the extreme. "Before, we had a year's visibility of our shifts. With this software, this period is reduced to three months," insists Fabien Villedieu. "Moreover, it is very common for our services to be modified 24 hours in advance."

Not to be outdone, Cédric Robert assures that "since SNCF's workforce is stretched, this flexibility is imposed to fill the shortage of railway workers." And the CGT member adds: "Drivers and controllers are subject to the whim of the train supply, with concrete consequences for the private lives of colleagues who need to look after children or anticipate medical appointments."

A difficulty that adds to the heavy constraints already imposed by these professions. Thus, because of the "sleep-out," an ASCT spends about five years away from home in thirty-five years of career, not including night work. To respond to this anger, Jean-Pierre Farandou sent a letter to SNCF Voyageurs agents, which L'Humanité was able to consult. The CEO of SNCF says he "fully understands the meaning and legitimacy of the demands" and states that "concrete commitments will be implemented from May 2025 by SNCF Voyageurs," which will be responsible for "identifying the areas that will need to be explored in depth during an independent external audit." "Management recognizes difficulties in the organization of work but is only proposing an audit to clear the ground," summarizes Cédric Robert, who emphasizes that this dialogue is made possible "by the establishment of a balance of power."

The second area of ​​demand is railway workers' pay. SUD Rail is demanding a minimum increase of €100 in drivers' traction bonuses and ASCT work bonuses. For its part, the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) has been pushing a plan since 2022 to overhaul these bonuses, taking into account changes in these professions, with increases of up to €175.

As it stands, these bonuses represent around 25% of the remuneration of rolling stock railway workers. "Previous NAOs guaranteed an average salary increase of 2.2% in 2025, higher than inflation," Jean-Pierre Farandou counters in a letter. "Since 2022, while inflation has risen by 14.1%, average remuneration will have increased by 19.6%."

Not enough to convince Cédric Robert. "I think that one day, management will announce that railway workers have received a 50% pay rise. And everyone will swallow this rhetoric. The truth is that these figures are unverifiable, since they take into account all the changes, and in particular seniority. The increases in gross salary, which is eligible for retirement contributions, are still awaited," retorts the CGT member. According to his union, two round tables are scheduled for June 4 (for drivers) and 11 (for controllers). "Meetings that were not part of the social landscape two weeks ago," the CGT member rejoices.

Regarding additional pay, the CGT railway workers are proposing a bonus calculated in three stages: a basic base "guaranteeing pay in the event of sick leave, incapacity or reduction in the transport plan" ; the payment of a technical bonus based on the rolling stock; as well as the introduction of a production bonus "variable depending on the scope of work and night work" . In 2022, a petition supporting this overhaul project had collected the signatures of nearly 50% of SNCF's driving and controller staff.

However, SNCF management seems inflexible. "There has indeed been a sharing of value through substantial increases in remuneration over the past four years for all railway workers," maintains the CEO of the railway group. But, Fabien Villedieu points out, "SNCF made a profit of 1.6 billion euros in 2024, more than 5 billion cumulatively since the Covid crisis. When its European competitors lost 1.8 billion last year, like Deutsche Bahn, or 208 million for the Italian FS . " "The unions are within their role to demand a better sharing of the value created by railway workers," continues the head of SUD rail.

Yet, in the name of opening up to competition, Jean-Pierre Farandou warns of the consequences of this strike. "What will the mobility organizing authorities (AOM) think, at a time when the opening up of TER to competition is accelerating?" the CEO of SNCF writes to railway workers. It is forgotten that the regeneration of the rail network relies on the profits of the public limited company SNCF Voyageurs, which each year contributes to a competition fund to compensate for the State's withdrawal. In 2024, 1.71 billion euros were thus paid by SNCF for the network, where its competitors are exempt. This effort was largely made possible by a pressure on staff and a more flexible work schedule for railway workers. The causes of this strike...