On November 11, French cornflowers appeared, pinned to jackets, and, in front of the war memorials, we could hear The Marseillaise to celebrate this day of national cohesion. Short moment of unity, before reconnecting with this tradition of greviculture, come rain (deficits) or shine (public spending). No matter the budgetary weather: the strike season is open and, to all honor, our railway workers are showing the way, into which airline pilots, civil servants and farmers are already rushing.
It would be in bad taste to publish the bill for past conflicts, in a country where “whatever it takes” has long served as a compass for our leaders. The cost of the Christmas 2022 railway strike? A hundred million euros. That of February, which left more than 150,000 passengers at the dock? Several tens of millions of euros.
A penknife in pension reform
At SNCF, the fear of a social movement is such that management prefers to take the lead. As when it signed an agreement with the unions in April on the gradual cessation of activity, a swipe at pension reform, in the form of a very generous system… And very expensive (481 million euros) . Never satisfied, the railway workers’ unions obtained the bonus for the Olympic Games in the spring (around 50 million euros). They are now demanding a new bonus – to thank them for the smooth running of the Olympics, this time extended to all staff…
It’s not over. In the first half of the year, SNCF personnel costs increased by 8% compared to the same period in 2023, “following the general measures announced by the group”, explains the SNCF. Opposed to the dismantling of SNCF Fret, scheduled for January 1, 2025, the railway company’s unions are now calling for work to stop on November 21, and are threatening to launch an indefinite and renewable strike from December 11. Just a few days before the first vacation departures.
Pay interest on the SNCF debt
In their arguments, the unions highlight the good financial results of the SNCF… Thank you who? The French taxpayer, always there to satisfy the needs of the group of 287,000 employees. Thus, in the 2025 draft budget there is a credit line of 700 million euros to pay the interest on the SNCF debt, taken over by the State to the tune of 35 billion euros. On another line, 3.2 billion euros are recorded as a subsidy for the schemes of the company’s statutory agents…
The Fipeco institute has estimated the cost of the SNCF for taxpayers in total at 20 billion euros in 2022. But rest assured, it will be exempt from the new exceptional contribution provided for in the budget. Probably because it remains a fragile company? Because the SNCF has “significant tax deficits” warned the Minister of Transport. Finally, the “strike attitude” ends up paying off!