SNCF STRIKE. Tuesday, January 31, 2023, TGV, TER, Intercités, Transiliens and RER are expected to suffer major disruptions due to a second strike against the pension reform. The unions also announced new strike dates during the February school holidays.
[Mis à jour le 27 janvier 2023 à 17h38] The representative unions at SNCF (CGT-Cheminots, SUD Rail, Unsa Ferroviaire and CFDT-Cheminots) have called on railway workers to join “massively” the second day of strike against the planned pension reform Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at the call of the CFDT, the CGT, FO, the CFE-CGC, the CFTC, the UNSA, Solidaires and FSU. But CGT boss Philippe Martinez wants the movement to continue beyond January 31, during the February school holidays. “From the moment the government stubbornly insists on what makes conflict, there is the possibility of days of action during the school holidays”, he had thus declared on RTL January 22.
At the SNCF, a renewable strike is already envisaged at the beginning of February. The CGT-Cheminots and Sud-Rail called for two more days of mobilization, the February 7 and 8 next during the February holidays in zone A. In addition, the two unions have announced that they are considering a renewable strike at the SNCF “from mid-February” if the government of Elisabeth Borne does not withdraw its pension reform project by then.
The inter-union calls for a strike against the pension reform this Tuesday, January 31, 2023, while the text of the law on the pension reform arrives at the National Assembly in February. The SNCF unions, the CGT Cheminots and SUD-Rail, are joining the movement and calling on the railway workers to “act massively by striking on January 31”. the Transilien website already indicates that “train circulation could be disrupted from Monday January 30 at 7 p.m. to Wednesday February 1 at 6 a.m.”.
The disturbances should be significant, like Thursday January 19, when one TGV in 3 or 5 and one TER in 10 only circulated and all the Intercités were stopped. Monday evening traffic forecasts will be announced on Sunday from 5 p.m.. As for the disruptions of the key day of Tuesday, January 31, they will be available from Monday at 5 p.m.
As a reminder, the SNCF Connect website indicates that before any departure, “the free and free exchange for another date or a full refund of tickets is offered to travelers, if the train is canceled or if its circulation is not ensured”.
On the evening of January 31, 2023, the CGT Cheminots and SUD-Rail unions will propose “to meet in general assemblies and to debate the intensification of the action by two consecutive days of strike. (…) And, for lack of withdrawal of the text, to consider the renewable strike by periods of 24 hours from mid-February“.
The renewable strike was therefore announced initially over two consecutive days on tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 February 2023 by the CGT Cheminots and SUD-Rail, either during school holidays in zone A and just before the February holiday departures for zone B, before a possible renewable strike from mid-February. “Sometimes it is better not to have your train to go on vacation, but to have the possibility of retiring at 62, or even some 60, rather than having your train and finally being forced to work until 64. years, which the French do not want and the French are intelligent, they do not fall into the trap of division”, replied to BFM-TV the Sud-rail union representative Fabien Villedieu to the question of considering extending the strike during the winter holidays.
The FO transport union, for its part, wishes to “disorganize the functioning of companies” by calling for a strike for one hour a day at the start of service from Tuesday January 31.
SNCF users can quickly check the traffic situation and find out if a particular train has been canceled or is leaving late. For information on the TGVs, the telephone number provided is 0 805 90 36 35. To follow the traffic of all the main or medium lines (TGV, Intercités, TER), go to this page of the SNCF. For information on the Transilien or RER in the Paris suburbs, call 0 805 90 36 35 or consult the dedicated platform.