SNCF announces pay rises after strikes in France, unions want more

SNCF has agreed to give its workers a pay rise after many went on strike yesterday (July 6), to call for salaries which would enable them to face up to inflation. The workers claim they have not had an increase for eight years.

The rail operator has said that it will introduce a general salary increase of 1.4%, as well as a 4% rise for unsociable hours such as nights, weekends and public holidays. This will equate to a real term average rise of 3.7% for lower-level workers and 2.2% for managers.

SNCF has also said that it is “committed” to carrying out its annual negotiations with workers in December.

The four unions which led the strike – CGT, Unsa, SUD-Rail and CFDT – have called the offer “highly insufficient”, but the CGT added that “it is the mobilisation of railway workers which enables this shift in salaries.”

CGT also proposed that unions “jointly pursue the process of demanding that the management put its hand in its pocket beyond compensating inflation alone.”

Unsa welcomed the “encouraging measures” taken by SNCF, adding that: “If the company had proposed them last Friday, we could have lifted the strike notice.”

Yesterday’s strike saw a “more significant” number of employees mobilise than normal, with SNCF stating that 20% of workers took action on a national level, including 35-40% of train drivers.

Although much of the action took place yesterday, there is still some disruption on the Ile-de-France network today (July 7).

Two in every three RER C trains are running, and the RER E is still experiencing “light disruption”.

Transilien services are not yet back to normal with some lines having cancelled one in every three trains.

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