A short-term lull?
After a first weekend of vacation marked by the massive strike of SNCF controllers, with hundreds of trains canceled, a return to normal takes place on the rail network from this Monday.
But a threat is already looming over the next weekend, from Friday 11 a.m. to Saturday 11 p.m.
This time it comes from the SNCF Réseau switchers, responsible for organizing and monitoring the movement of trains on the rails.
A strike notice “has been filed since January 31,” said Julien Troccaz, federal secretary of Sud Rail, on RTL this Monday morning.
While waiting for “real negotiations” with management and for the latter to “hear the anger”, this notice “is maintained” he warns.
“If there is not the opening of negotiations quickly enough, the mobilization will increase at the SNCF in the category of controllers, but it could also expand,” he had already warned the day before on franceinfo.
#SNCF: "The management of the SNCF is playing a little game of railway bashing which is not very pleasant in recent days"@JTroccaz, federal secretary SUD-Rail, guest of @JeromeFlorin in #RTLMatin pic.twitter.com/pFglycgDJH
— RTL France (@RTLFrance) February 19, 2024
Despite the significant disruptions caused by the controllers' strike this weekend, which left 150,000 travelers on the platform, "we achieved nothing at all", deplores Julien Troccaz.
“We just had the duty and the obligation to strengthen this mobilization.
Jean-Pierre Farandou (
the CEO of SNCF
) has decided not to negotiate before or during, he will have to negotiate afterwards,” he warns.
“A little game of railway bashing”
For the federal secretary of Sud Rail, “the management of the SNCF is playing a little game of railway bashing which is not very pleasant in recent days”.
According to him, the demands of both controllers and switchers “have been known by management since 2022 (…), they do not come out of a hat in recent days”.
The controllers' movement, which was very popular with three out of four railway workers on strike, mainly concerned questions of salary increases.
However, the management of the railway company has defended in recent days that the controllers had benefited from a salary increase of 500 euros gross per month in two years.
What Julien Troccaz denies on RTL.
“I have with me the December 2022 conflict exit agreement, it says 60 euros gross monthly, which makes 720 euros annually.
Management will have to be held accountable.
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As for the demands of the switchers, they relate to three aspects: recruitment, "we want a massive hiring plan", remuneration, with "an increase in the working bonus" and "demands on working conditions", explains the federal secretary of Sud Rail.
Julien Troccaz indicated that the activist teams would meet in the morning to decide on the continuation of the movement.
He does not rule out other strikes during the Easter holidays, or even during the Olympic Games.
“We don't forbid anything, there is never a truce in the social movement,” he said.