Strike at the SNCF during the holidays? At this stage, still no end to the crisis in sight

Management and unions participated in a work meeting, while several organizations are calling for a strike of controllers on February 17 and 18.

Towards a strike from February 16 to 18? A meeting between the management of SNCF Voyageurs and the unions did not make it possible to remove the threat of a social movement by the controllers, in the middle of school holidays in a large part of the country. The unions, which carry the voice of a collective of controllers created on Facebook at the end of 2022, denounce the non-application of the conflict resolution agreement signed at the time.

A massive strike by crew chiefs in the middle of the Christmas weekend led the SNCF to cancel numerous TGVs, leaving 200,000 travelers in the lurch a few days before the holidays. An agreement, signed in a hurry, provided for better remuneration, recruitment, as well as the opening of discussions on the arduousness of the profession. “Management tried to convince us that it was applying the measures promised in December 2022 but in the face, we gave them many examples of cases or places where this was not the case”explained Erik Meyer, Federal Secretary of South Rail.

The union, which is calling for a strike with the CGT-Cheminots and the CFDT-Cheminots, deplores, for example, the systematic non-presence of two crew chiefs by TGV, as initially promised. The questions of arduousness and early career end schemes specific to controllers, which were to be discussed, have still not been addressed, Sud-Rail also denounces.

The CEO will receive the unions on Thursday

Management has promised to hold a round table on the subject in March. It also guaranteed 200 additional recruitments this year, to reach the figure of 850 new captains in 2024. “Today’s meeting was not intended to lift the notice but to provide a complete update on the progress of commitments, it was not a negotiation meeting”specified an SNCF spokesperson.

“The measures – resulting from the agreement at the end of 2022 – have all been launched, they are almost all multi-year, so we must confirm them over time”, underlined the company’s HR director, Lucile Quessart. For example, all TGVs could not be systematically provided with two crew chiefs because “We weren’t able to do it. It’s started, and we’re hopeful of getting there”. Another example: remuneration. A system allowing it to be retained more or less in the event of sick leave just came into force in January. “Maybe we didn’t communicate enough” on this subject, says Lucile Quessart.

The crisis, in any case, is being taken seriously. SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou will receive all the unions on Thursday to address the social agenda, including the subject of the controllers’ strike.