In an Elabe poll for BFMTV, 52% of French people say they are in total opposition, even hostile, to the SNCF controllers’ strike planned for this weekend. For its part, the SNCF has already promised a commercial gesture for injured travelers.
With the winter holidays starting this weekend for zone A, following in the footsteps of those in zone C, the Sud-Rail and CGT Cheminots unions saw this as a great opportunity to put pressure on the management of the SNCF . They criticize him for not having kept his commitments aimed at improving the working conditions of railway workers. Commitments made after the Christmas 2022 strike. A fact that the SNCF refutes, denouncing an “incomprehensible” strike. The mobilization of SNCF controllers will, in any case, have consequences for many travelers. Only one TGV InOui out of 2, 1 OuiGo out of 2 and 1 Intercités out of 2, day and night, will run on Friday 16, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 February 2024, SNCF predicts.
In an Elabe poll published by BFMTV on February 14, the French no longer hide their anger in the face of repeated SNCF strikes. If 9% say they support it and 18% believe they have sympathy for the railway workers, 26% are opposed to it, or even completely hostile (26%). A particularly low level of approval compared to the latest mobilizations of the SNCF, underlines the study, which points to a shared responsibility (41%), with however unions being singled out more, with 39% of respondents believing that the strike is their mistake.
The SNCF has, for its part, already announced that, as with each strike, injured customers will be reimbursed 100% of their train tickets. The refund request can be made at the station, by telephone by dialing 36 35 and, of course, on the SNCF website or on the SNCF Connect application. Note that if your return is canceled, but not your outward journey, or vice versa, which forces you to review all your plans, it is possible, in principle, to be reimbursed for both trips in full. After requesting cancellation, the refund should be made within three to five days to the bank account that was used to purchase the tickets.
Unusually, however, the SNCF announced that in addition to receiving a 100% refund for tickets, travelers whose train would be canceled will receive a voucher offering a 50% reduction. The voucher will be sent without the people concerned needing to take any action this time. Please note, however, that the voucher will only be valid for one month. Enough to appease the anger of travelers harmed by the SNCF strike? The management hopes so in any case…