The director of human resources (HRD) of the SNCF, Philippe Bru, and representatives of the union organizations left a meeting on Wednesday, November 20, just before the start of the strike movement which will disrupt rail traffic on Thursday, November 21. The “round table” aims to conclude the obligatory annual salary negotiations.
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Officially, the strike has nothing to do with this issue. The notice concerns opposition to the dismantling of Fret SNCF and the creation of subsidiaries for TERs open to competition, as well as the future financing of rail infrastructure. So many subjects over which the management of the railway operator has no control, since they arise from European regulations or the law. On the other hand, she obtained from the government, which has just decided to freeze the index point of civil servants, a general increase in salaries. The State is a 100% shareholder of SNCF.
Management has proposed a general increase of 0.5%, which is in addition to an automatic increase in payroll of 1.7% linked to seniority. “The frost was avoided”notes management. In total, the revaluation would be 2.2%, to compare with the inflation forecast of the Banque de France which stands at 1.5% for 2025. The SNCF also maintains its commitment not to have lower salaries minimum wage, increased by 10%. At least two organizations must sign the agreement for management to implement it. Otherwise, the only commitment maintained would be that on low wages, the 0.5% increase disappearing. The unions have until November 29 to give their agreement.
Difference with contract workers
Two organizations, the Unsa and the CGT, tried to open another discussion. Since 2020, the company has only recruited contract employees and no longer status railway workers. Between them, salaries are no longer homogeneous. For the same position, there are sometimes significant differences which complicate the organization. The group's first two union organizations therefore requested the opening of negotiations to converge remuneration. Which the HR manager refused. “We are now recruiting from the market and we must retain agents”said the management, which wants to maintain a certain freedom.
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While the union organizations are thinking about their strategy – whether or not to sign the proposed agreement – travelers must check if their train is running on Thursday, November 21. Despite the strike movement, traffic is expected to be almost normal for the TGVs. But not on the Intercités: one in two circulates, nor on the TER, with seven out of ten in operation on average. In Ile-de-France, the most affected lines are the D and R, where SUD-Rail is very established, with only one train in three on average, as well as the RER B to the north and the H and N lines, with every second train. We do not yet know the effect of the strike on freight transport activities.
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