French rail strike: no disruption to TGVs but local Occitanie and Paris routes impacted
Unions are calling on workers to walk out as negotiations with management begin
Most trains are expected to run as normal tomorrow, including high-speed TGVs
NGCHIYUI/Shutterstock
A strike by rail workers tomorrow (January 13) is set to cause little disruption on France’s rail network, despite a second union filing a motion and calling on members to join the action.
High-speed TGV (both InOui and Ouigo) and Intercités trains are expected to run as scheduled, with no disruption to domestic or international lines.
Regional trains should also remain mostly unaffected, although certain lines in Occitanie and Île-de-France will see disruptions.
The SUD-Rail union announced the one-day strike to coincide with the start of annual negotiations (NAO) between worker collectives and management, with the rail wing of the CGT also calling for action nationwide.
Full timetables will be released no later than 17:00 today, and you can check for disruptions to planned journeys using official SNCF channels including the SNCFConnect website or regional alternative.
Unions seek wage hike and improved bonus structure
The unions are looking to put pressure on management at the start of negotiations as they look for further concessions.
The new head of the SNCF and former Prime Minister Jean Castex offered workers a €400 bonus in December and the extension of certain social agreements, following expected annual profits of around €2 billion for the state-owned rail operator in 2025.
SUD-Rail however says this is insufficient following the success, and wants wages raised by €400 per month for all workers, alongside a standardised 13th month bonus. It says this will cost €1.2 billion, well within the operator’s profit margins
For its part, the CGT wants a 12% wage increase for workers and a 13th-month bonus for all employees.
Management says that rail worker wages have increased 16% over the last three years, with at least 95% of workers seeing a 14% increase or more. This is compared to inflation across the period, which reached 8.1%
Unions dispute these figures, arguing that wages have been capped too low.
Salary increases are expected to slow down, following inflation of around 1.1% in 2025.
