December French rail strike: Less disruption expected than forecast

Disruption to services on French railways are set to be less severe than initially expected as rail unions begin an ‘unlimited’ strike tomorrow (December 12).

High-speed TGV routes (both Inoui and OuiGo services) should be running as normal but regional TER trains are expected to face some disruption with around 80% of local services running as scheduled. 

Full information on service affected will be available from tonight at 19:00 on the SNCFConnect website and smartphone application and other local timetable websites. 

The strike – called over the break-up of the SNCF’s freight arm and privatisation in the rail sector – is set to last throughout the Christmas period, with timetables being updated at 19:00 each evening for the following day. 

Passengers are still recommended to check their scheduled service before leaving home to see if they are affected by the strike, although if they are taking a high-speed service this is thought to be unlikely.

Read more: Good news for residents in Brittany as extra trains confirmed

Two unions lift strike notice

Originally backed by all four of France’s major rail unions, the strike is now set to be less impactful after two – the CFDT and Unsa – signed an agreement with France’s national rail operator (the SNCF) over job security for its members.

The unions believe that sufficient guarantees have been proposed for the 4,500 employees under their wing including in the SNCF’s freight arm, which is to be split into two separate companies from January 2025.

Workers will retain current employment rights for three years whilst new deals are negotiated between unions and incoming freight companies. These companies may be subject to privatisation in the future. 

Workers on regional TER services – also set to open up to privatisation next year – will see their current rights maintained for two years, as opposed to the 15 months initially offered by the SNCF. 

All employees are safe from redundancy during this timeframe. 

The CFDT said it may call for strike action again in the spring if negotiations begin to falter.

However, the two largest unions on the network, the CGT and SUD-Rail, will maintain the original strike this December. 

Agreements signed between the SNCF and other unions were called ‘insufficient’ by the CGT in a press conference. 

The prolonged strike action this month comes after a one-day strike in November also saw minimal disruption to travel. 

Read more: SNCF comes fifth in European ranking of best train companies