Elisabeth Borne “salutes the spirit of responsibility” after the unions lifted their notice for the New Year

• Emmanuel Macron is receiving a delegation of paediatricians today. The day before, the Minister of Health, François Braun, had mentioned a situation “critical at the level of the health system” due to the triple winter epidemic of Covid-19, bronchiolitis and influenza.

• French serial killer Charles Sobhrajwhich raged in Asia in the 1970s and inspired the series The snake on Netflix, was released from prison in Nepal and will be transferred today to France.

11:50 a.m. : Hello @Ced, @iamnath and @littlefathertranquille. Only unions elected by employees can negotiate a collective agreement with SNCF management. They are also the only ones who can file a strike notice. With the lifting of the New Year’s notice by the unions, the members of the informal collective of controllers will therefore not be able to strike at this time.

11:41 a.m. : I thought there was no union involved in this strike, so how can they sign an end to the strike that they did not start?

11:41 a.m. : Does the group of controllers also sign?

11:41 a.m. : Hello, I don’t understand, the unions signed the agreement at the SNCF but I thought the strikers were outside the union???

11:34 am : Despite the signing of this agreement with all the unions today, “The disturbances will remain unchanged for this weekend”, specifies the SNCF.

11:28 : The management of the SNCF had proposed “additional measures” during a videoconference meeting last night with the unions in order to find a way out of the conflict. Among these measures: the creation of a management of the skippers, the hiring of 200 additional people and an increase in their specific bonus.

11:19 a.m. : All the unions sign the agreement proposed by management. The strike notice for the New Year is lifted.

09:56 : “The trade unions came out with extremely tangible things which in my opinion should win their agreement.”

“We gave everything so that today at noon, we can say that this draft agreement will allow us to save the New Year weekend, that is our objective”hammered Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, on France Inter, after the new negotiations with the unions last night.

11:26 : It is 9 a.m., we are making a new point on the news of the day:

• “We gave everything”, launched Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, on France Inter, after the new discussions which took place with the unions last night. The unions have until noon to follow up on management’s proposal to avoid a strike next weekend. Follow our live.

• The Minister of Health, François Braun, spoke last night of a situation “critical at the level of the health system” due to the triple winter epidemic of Covid-19, bronchiolitis and influenza, which weighs on emergency services “saturated”.

• Belgian justice announces the continued detention on remand of Greek MEP, Eva Kaili, charged in a corruption investigation involving Qatar.

• After his visit to Washington and a quick passage through Poland, where he met President Andrzej Duda, Volodymyr Zelensky is back in Ukraine. Here’s what to remember from the Ukrainian president’s visit to the United States.

8:25 : “You can’t get on board without a train ticket”, also recalls Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs. On the other hand, it is possible to exchange or have your ticket reimbursed, as well as obtain compensation in the form of a purchase voucher up to 200% of the price of the initial ticket.

08:47 : Strike notices are still filed for the New Year weekend at the SNCF, raising the risk of new massive train cuts. If the union negotiations are successful, these notices could be lifted.

07:55 : “We gave everything”, launched Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, on France Inter, after the new discussions which took place with the unions last night. The unions have until noon to respond to the management’s proposal.

06:07 : The unions have until noon to decide on this new agreement. Nearly half of the controllers will be on strike this weekend, causing the cancellation of one train out of three on Friday, and two trains out of five on Saturday and Sunday, especially TGVs.

06:07 : During a meeting with the unions last night, the management of the group proposed “strong additional measures in favor of the recognition of the profession of skipper, the creation of positions, and the progression of their careers”announced the SNCF in a press release.

07:38 : Christmas departures disrupted at the SNCF, New Year on hold. While many travelers will remain at the platform today and throughout the Christmas weekend, the SNCF has made new proposals to prevent the controllers’ strike from continuing until the New Year.