No call for a strike but notices maintained: travelers sail on sight. The situation becomes more complicated for Christmas and New Year weekends at the SNCF, where the two main unions, CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail, now leave it to each controller to decide whether or not to join the movement launched by a collective. “We have decided to leave our union tool available” to allow those who wish to go on strike, SUD-Rail said. Ditto for the CGT which intends to leave the choice to its members to “get involved in the process”.
“We regret the maintenance of the notices when concrete and substantial measures were on the table after several weeks of negotiations”, reacted the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet. “We hope that the absence of a call for a strike will be heard”, wished the boss of the company. “All our energy will now be devoted to preparing transport plans in order to allow as many of our customers as possible to travel”, added Christophe Fanichet, indicating that he wanted to communicate on Tuesday the number of trains canceled and maintained next weekend. , “to allow our customers to organize themselves”.
Note that it is still too early to know the impact on the movement of trains of this movement of anger from the conductors – the official name of the controllers. The movement called “Collectif national ASCT” (CNA) demands better recognition of the specificity of this profession, was received with the unions on December 8. At the end of this, management proposed increasing the “work bonus” for skippers by 600 euros per year, part of which would be included in their salary in 2024, as well as an additional allowance of 600 euros gross per year. Other specific measures concerning advancement have been put on the table in order to facilitate the career development of skippers. “We have done everything to find a favorable outcome and avoid a conflict that will be penalizing for travelers,” said Christophe Fanichet. These measures are of a “very good level and meet the demands of the CNA”, estimated on Friday the Unsa-Ferroviaire, announcing to withdraw its strike notice.
An open door to potential strikers
However, the collective of controllers was disappointed with the proposals of the SNCF. “Our word must be heard seriously, with real answers from the company”, estimates on BFMTV a person in charge of the national collective of controllers. But the CNA, which wanted to organize an online consultation, was unable to come up with a clear position. “We have detected numerous frauds and attempts to manipulate the vote,” admitted the collective on Friday, forced to cancel the ballot. He then entrusted the trade unions with “organizing votes among their controlling members, in order to position themselves on the continuation or not of the movement”.
SUD-rail therefore “organized a consultation of all of its structures” but this did “not make it possible to reach a majority position”, he conceded on Monday. As a result, the union decided to maintain its notice to leave the door open to possible strikers, while not itself openly calling for a strike. Same thing on the side of the CGT-Cheminots. “We leave the notice available to our members who wish to get involved in the process,” its secretary general, Laurent Brun, told AFP. Fourth and last representative union of the public group, the CFDT-Cheminots had still not made known its position Monday afternoon. As for the group of skippers, it remained unreachable.
The social climate remains fragile at the SNCF since the salary increase proposals for 2023 formulated by the management on December 7 during the mandatory annual negotiations (NAO), were only signed by one union – the CFDT – out of four. The management has proposed a series of measures leading, according to it, to a salary increase of 5.9% on average, including a 2% general increase for all. Measures deemed insufficient by the CGT, Unsa and SUD-Rail.
Air: Air Antilles and Air Guyane lift their strike notice
For the direction of the SNCF, the situation remains uncomfortable. A first weekend of strike, from December 2 to 5, had led the SNCF to cancel 60% of its TGV and Intercités. A disaster scenario that she wants to avoid for Christmas and New Year weekends. Since November, she has been struggling to establish a dialogue with the collective of controllers at the origin of the social movement, and that the unions are trying to frame somehow. The national collective ASCT (CNA) brings together more than 3,500 members on Facebook and rejects any connection with the unions, even if it had to rely on the union organizations to bring its demands and file strike notices.
And what will be the situation in the air? The pilots, hostesses and stewards of the Air Antilles and Air Guyane companies have decided to lift their strike notices initially scheduled for the period from December 17 to 22. “Flights will therefore be provided normally throughout the holiday period”, assures the Interregional Express Airline (Cairo), which brings together the two subsidiaries, in a press release, Friday, December 16. However, several movements have been confirmed to request a salary increase in other companies such as Air France or French Bee. The hostesses and stewards of the company will strike from December 22 to 25.