Two SNCF unions call for strike movements on May 5. Some even mention a “dark week” in the absence of new negotiations. The Minister of Transport fears “a difficult month of May” for users.
The CGT-Cheminots, the majority union of the sector, appealed to the strike from May 5 for the controllers and drivers of the SNCF. Ile -de -France sections of the CGT have already mentioned a “dark week” for rail traffic, deeming an extension of the strike movement possible until May 8 and the following days. The South-Rail union had called, before the CGT, to a strikers’ strike for three days, on May 9, 10 and 11, and a driver strike on May 7, the day before the holiday and therefore possible date of many weekend departures. This call for strike was supported by the National ASCT collective, an informal group of controllers who was initiated by very followed strikes in December 2022 and February 2024, which advanced “supporting the mobilization dates” proposed by Sud-Rail. The mobilizations could therefore last all week from the May 8 bridge.
Consequently, the circulation of trains could be disrupted for several days, if negotiations with the management do not allow to lift the strike notice. However, no agreement has emerged from the meeting held on April 23 between the SNCF and South-Rail. The threat is therefore growing. “We are moving around a dark week on the May 8 bridge,” said trade unionist Fabien Villedieu, on franceinfo. “They offer us meetings on Monday and Tuesday to agree on an agenda for an audit which would take place in June and which would make its conclusions in September. If we are within the framework of a conflict around May 8, we are not for first conclusions in September,” he reported. Disturbances will also depend on the extent of the mobilization.
SNCF travelers CEO, Christophe Fanichet, assured the Parisian Take “all the notice very seriously” and “do everything so that the French travel normally”. In use, the SNCF could notably use internal agents trained to replace the missing controllers and focus on the most frequented axes during this period. The Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot, however, admitted to RTLThursday, April 24, that “this month of May looks difficult, users must quickly have information to organize themselves”. He regrets that “some unions do not seem to want to move towards appeasement”, but still keep hope. He is also concerned about the financial consequences for the SNCF: “a day of strike is 10 million euros which are not invested in the network”.
Claims deemed “not legitimate” by the Minister of Transport
The CGT-Cheminots calls for an increase and overhaul of the “traction” bonus for drivers and the work premium for controllers, “important remuneration elements”. The union also criticizes the use of new tools for controllers which “participates in the degradation of relations between operators and chiefs”. Sud-Rail denounces, for its part, too many planning changes at the last minute, which he said generates an poorly managed organization. The union calls for a reassessment of wages, with at least one passage of level every three years against four today, as well as an increase of 100 euros per month of the work bonus. He also wants the “traction” bonus to be maintained in the event of sick leave.
Philippe Tabarot considers that the claims of the controllers are “not legitimate”. These SNCF employees are “not the most ill-treated within the SNCF,” he said on Europe 1 Friday, April 18. “There are staff for whom the task and arduousness are much more important than for controllers who are not the least privileged”. According to The ParisianSNCF is committed to the issue of schedules to give visibility of six months on rest days or even prevent its controllers when changes in their start of day schedules exceed three quarters of an hour. However, it does not intend to access the request on the levels and does not seem to want to give in to wage demands. The CEO also recalled the efforts made by the company during previous negotiations: “We made the job, we made all our commitments made in 2022 on the legitimate demands” of the controllers and “for 2025, I recall that we negotiated at the end of last year a general increase of 2.2 %, more than inflation”.
11:56 – Negotiations in a standstill?
New negotiations took place on Wednesday April 23 between trade union organizations, notably Sud-Rail, and the management of the SNCF. According to the trade unionist Fabien Villedieu on Franceinfo, this meeting “did not succeed”. “From the start, the HRD of the travel branch was honest. She told us that there would be no evolution on remuneration. As for planning modifications, which make daily life unbearable for controllers and drivers, she remained on the establishment of workshops. It is fucking mouth,” he reported to the Parisian. For the latter, it is “an observation of failure” only fifteen days before the start of the strike notice. On the SNCF side, the management ensures that it has kept its commitments made in 2022 with in particular an average increase of 2.2 % of wages for 2025 and hires in controllers. This remains insufficient for unions. Two meetings are still scheduled for next week, notably to discuss “an audit on the organization of schedules which will take place in June with conclusions rendered in September”.
11:45 – A month of May “which promises to be difficult” in transport
The Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, reacted on RTL to the threat of strike that weighs on the week of the May 8 bridge. He highlights the “users who are concerned about this month of May which promises to be difficult” and who must “have information to be able to organize”. He then hopes that negotiations with the unions will help to mitigate the mobilization and that they will return “to reason”, but deplores that “certain unions do not seem to want to move towards a appeasement”. “I think that the management of the SNCF wants to continue the social dialogue. There are a certain number of claims on which they wish to move forward. I trust the SNCF to see what is right and what is not just in terms of claims,” he said. The minister therefore does not wish to intervene directly.
04/18/25 – 13:51 – “It’s starting to do well!” : the minister annoyed by threats of strikes at the SNCF
While the South-Rail and CGT-Cheminots unions continue to call a strike from May 5 and around the May 8 bridge for controllers and drivers, the Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, is annoyed. He estimates on Europe 1/CNews, this Friday, April 18, that certain claims “are not legitimate” and “seemed excessive”. Opposing the idea of a strike affecting journeys as a long weekend approaches, he recalls his desire to limit the right to strike over certain periods. “It’s starting to do well!” he believes. But evoking this idea amounts to throwing oil on fire for several SNCF unions.