SNCF Strikes: Controllers, Drivers, Sales Agents… Towards a Lively May 8th Bridge on the Rails

In the absence of any action from SNCF management, several calls for strike action by Sud-Rail and the CGT-Cheminots union over pay and work organization issues risk disrupting traffic next week. The culmination is a strike by ticket inspectors, which is expected to take place right in the middle of the May 8th long weekend.

With negotiations that have been taking place for several weeks to avoid a strike having failed, "everyone is flexing their muscles," sums up Fabien Villedieu, federal secretary of SUD-Rail, the leading union in this protest movement.

Starting Monday, May 5, the CGT-Cheminots (French National Railway Workers' Union), the leading union at the SNCF (French National Railways), is calling on ticket inspectors and drivers to strike. The union is demanding an increase in the work bonus and an overhaul of the organization of schedules, which, according to the union, are too often changed at the last minute. SUD-Rail, for its part, is calling on sales agents to mobilize that same Monday. Since these are the agents who answer phones or greet customers in shops, this will have no impact on train operations.

SNCF Voyageurs has not yet released a forecast for Monday, but according to several union and group sources, disruptions that day should be limited, if not non-existent.

The impact on traffic, however, is expected to be much greater from Friday, May 9, and throughout the May 8 long weekend. "It's expected to be very heavy for controllers on May 9, 10, and 11," warns Fabien Villedieu.

They are also called to mobilize on these dates by the influential National Collective ASCT (CNA), at the origin of the last two major strikes at the SNCF for demands specific to the public company, at Christmas 2022 and in February 2024 .

Both SUD-Rail and the CNA are demanding more predictable schedules and a €100 monthly increase in the work bonus. The union is also calling on train maintenance workers to mobilize on Tuesday, as well as drivers on Wednesday.

SNCF management has closed the door on any pay increases, believing it had done what was necessary during the mandatory annual negotiations in November with an average 2.2% pay increase, which is higher than the inflation forecast for 2025 (1.5% according to the Bank of France).

In a letter addressed to employees, the CEO of the railway group, Jean-Pierre Farandou, pledged to make "a progress report" before the summer "to examine the general economic situation and compare ourselves to large companies" , and another in September to look at the level of inflation.

Jean-Pierre Farandou, whose term as CEO must end by the summer due to the age limit, nevertheless admits the scheduling problems, with "new tools that add constraints." However, "the upcoming categorical strikes at SNCF Voyageurs will not have any added value. On the contrary, they will permanently weaken the SNCF, and therefore all railway workers, even though SNCF Voyageurs is facing competition," he believes.

The first day of the strike, May 5, coincides with the opening of the government's transport infrastructure financing conference in Marseille.