A recent agreement between SNCF’s management and the four French state railway’s labour unions might significantly decrease the impact of the general strike called for 11 December. As a result of the deal, two unions – UNSA and CFDT – have decided to withdraw their endorsement of rolling strikes in protest to the winding-up of Fret SNCF and also the opening up of competition on local passenger services.
The agreement between SNCF and the four unions (CGT, UNSA, SUD-Rail and CFDT) Fret SNCF staff transferred to the new subsidiaries borne out of its discontinuity, will be guaranteed railway worker status for a period of three years. UNSA pulled out of the strike last week, and CFDT is not following. The CGT and SUD-Rail, the two with the most militant stance, have maintained the call to industrial action but the signature of the transfer agreement appears to have lessened the prospect of a strong mobilisation of workers and a long strike.
Railway worker status comprises a number of benefits, including protection against redundancy, access to a new retirement plan and free travel provision on SNCF services. SNCF had previously offered railway worker status for a period of 15 months for rail freight personnel. The two, new subsidiaries, Hexafret for rail freight and Technis for locomotive maintenance, are expected to employ 4,500 staff.
No more moratorium?
It is unclear whether the agreement on the transfer of rail freight workers to Hexafret and Technis means that the unions have abandoned attempts to seek a moratorium on the discontinuity of Fret SNCF. The four unions recently wrote to Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, the European Commission’s first executive vice-president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, to try to stop the winding-up process.
As for the rolling strikes from the evening of 11 December, these are likely to go ahead as things stand. Sud Rail, having recognised the guarantees obtained for rail freight workers, now wants the same thing for staff employed on SNCF’s local passenger services which are also subject to the opening up to competition. There is also the issue of a wage increase offer which to date only the CFDT and UNSA have accepted.