The rescue of the soldier Fret SNCF, which is threatened by Brussels with having to repay more than 5 billion euros in public aid, will require a lot of sacrifices. On Tuesday, Transport Minister Clément Beaune outlined his plan to prevent the European Commission from imposing a penalty that would lead to the liquidation of this company 100% owned by SNCF. This consists of creating a company that has no link with Fret SNCF. As a result, it will have another name. It will always be public, that is to say controlled mainly by the SNCF.
On the other hand, in the round table, we could find a minority shareholder. Preferably public, although it could also be private. This new rail freight transport operator will not have the same scale as Fret SNCF. He will keep 80% of the activity. That is, all trains that carry goods for several different customers.
470 posts eliminated
On the other hand, this new company will have to cede to competitors (Europorte, ECR, etc.) the train markets that carry goods for a single shipper. That's about 20% of SNCF's freight turnover. As a result, 470 positions will be cut.
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There will be no redundancies. The railway workers will be reclassified in other subsidiaries of the railway group (SNCF Voyageurs, SNCF Réseau, etc.). Another option: if they are volunteers, they will be able to join the operators who will recover these markets and who will therefore need staff, including train drivers.
An additional €4 billion between 2023 and 2032
By showing this white paw, the State hopes to convince Brussels by the end of the year not to impose a penalty on Fret SNCF. To show that rail freight remains a priority, it promises to invest an additional €4 billion between 2023 and 2032 in dedicated infrastructure (piggy yards, renovation of railway tunnels, etc.).
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Not enough to convince the unions. To express their concern, about fifty SUD-rail activists interrupted Tuesday a symposium of transport users to the cry of "The SNCF is not for sale!".