May will be difficult month for train travel in France, warns minister
Two major train unions are threatening to strike and are ‘not willing to negotiate’, he says
Train unions CGT-Cheminots and SUD Rail have voted to strike in early May
MDart10/Shutterstock
May is set to be a difficult month for regular train users in France, the transport minister has warned, due to continued threats of strike action from major industry unions.
Unions CGT-Cheminots and SUD Rail have voted to strike from May 5 to May 11, although the exact dates and whether it will be drivers or ticket inspectors striking on a given day will vary. Some form of strike is expected on these days, inclusive.
This covers the eve of a public holiday, and a four-day weekend for many workers.
Among the unions’ demands is a request to increase drivers’ bonuses, even if workers take sick leave or a leave of absence, and a simplification of the bonus pay structure. SUD Rail, which represents 33% of SNCF train drivers, has claimed that all of its demands have so far been rejected.
Speaking to RTL today (April 24), Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that “May is shaping up to be a difficult month, and users need information quickly so they can make plans”.
Yet, he said that “some unions do not seem willing to move towards a settlement”.
‘Unions do not seem willing’
Mr Tabarot claimed that the unions were not currently appearing to be amenable to negotiations, and called for the unions to “see reason”.
“We must continue the social dialogue; but to negotiate, there must be two parties, and some unions do not seem willing to move towards appeasement,” he said, adding that strike action would likely lead to “very serious consequences” for the SNCF.
Every day of strikes at the company costs €10 million in investment, he said. He added that “we are not investing enough” in transport infrastructure, and that strikes would threaten this further.
Mr Tabarot has historically been against SNCF and transport strikes, calling them a “weapon [that] should not be used systematically”. Similarly, before taking office, he drafted a parliamentary bill to ban strikes during public holidays (the May 9-11 strikes would take place over a long weekend).
“Other means must be found,” he said.
SNCF negotiations
Mr Tabarot added that he hoped the unions would appear more amenable to negotiations and successful discussions with Jean-Pierre Farandou (SNCF president) and Christophe Fanichet (SNCF Voyageurs CEO), in a bid to avoid the strikes.
He said: “I think that SNCF management wants to continue social dialogue. There are a number of demands on which they wish to make progress. I still want social dialogue to be implemented. I do not wish to intervene directly because I believe that would weaken the state.
“I trust SNCF to determine what is fair and what is not fair in terms of the demands,” he said.
Yet, SNCF Voyageurs told AFP that it had “not received any notice from SUD Rail about its plans for controllers to strike on May 7”. However, it said: “We are committed to social dialogue, which involves compliance with rules of which trade unions are perfectly aware.”
