The workers were poached from the SNCF, for the most part by force, to be integrated into the subsidiary open to competition…created expressly for this occasion by the SNCF: the SVEA (Etoile d’Amiens passenger service).
In Abbeville, Amiens and Beauvais, between 25% and 50% were on strike. The agents who left for the SVEA are demanding better salaries, refusing the increase in the number of tasks which are now assigned to them and criticizing the new management for imposing degraded working conditions on them which endanger everyone’s safety and lengthen their working days. work.
Monday, December 16, gathered in a general assembly of around sixty, the SVEA strikers and other SNCF railway workers, on strike and in solidarity, were able to hear the new director trying to justify himself. He had just forgotten to take a microphone… So dialogue is not his thing! Some strikers confirmed this by telling those who did not yet know that this SNCF executive, whom they had known in their sector, considered the traction staff as « parasites » who used their strategic position in transportation to strike and “harm the business”.
This time, we mainly heard him complaining: there would be no “no money in the coffers” et “competition” would be « rude » ! If we decipher, we understand that the SNCF just created this subsidiary to compete with itself and give itself the legal means to review the contracts to take over what it had had to let go of in previous years.
Tuesday, December 17, the strikers were fewer in number. So they talked about resuming the offensive in January. They still have to use the coming weeks to be more numerous and more determined to prepare for the next battle!
