SNCF strike: social watchdog movement gets to the heart of the matter

The SNCF controllers’ strike has been in full swing since Friday and throughout this weekend of holidaymakers, with major disruptions to TGV services planned. Train services were “severely disrupted” from 8pm on Thursday until 8am on Monday, warned the train operator, which advised travelers to delay their journeys if possible. Three quarters of the crew chiefs, without whom TGV cannot operate, are expected to go on strike this weekend, according to SNCF.

Prices have been halved on TGV Inoui and Ouigo lines, as well as on Intercités day and night services. It should be “normal” for Uigo’s classic trains and “disturbed” for European services such as Eurostar. Traffic on local lines should be much less disrupted. For example, according to regional sites, it should be “normal” in the Burgundy TER, “disturbed” in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and “slightly disturbed” in the Marseille-Toulon axis.

Ski trips saved

“All areas will be irrigated by high-speed trains, but not all French people will be able to travel,” warned Christophe Fanichet, head of SNCF Voyageurs, as he departed for Lyon on Thursday. “The priority is to have full trains and… in February these will be trains from the Alps,” he added. Therefore, it is necessary to provide communication with these ski resorts, where the carriages were full.

On the other hand, according to France Bleu, some lines will be more affected, such as Paris-Bordeaux, where more than 60% of trains have been cancelled. It’s one of the main school holiday weekends and a million travelers are expected on SNCF lines.

Customers who were informed via SMS and email on Wednesday are urged to postpone travel. Those whose train is cancelled, will be able to exchange their ticket for free or get a full refund. The carrier is also offering 50% off their next trip to affected customers thanks to a code sent “automatically” and “for one month.”

“Strike must be the strongest weapon”

Striking unions say the deal to end the crisis, struck at the end of 2022 when a strike over the Christmas weekend left 200,000 travelers stranded, is progressing slowly. They are also calling for a renegotiation of the retirement agreement. “The company’s obligations assumed in December 2022 are being fulfilled,” in particular for additional positions, responded the head of SNCF Voyageurs.

This strike, initiated by an informal collective of supervisors, renewed the debate about the right to strike during certain periods. “The strike should be the greatest weapon,” but it “has become an instrument of negotiation,” noted Senate President Gérard Larcher, who is open to discussing oversight mechanisms for these social movements, such as the mechanism of the SNCF supervisors. Senate legislation prohibiting announcements on public holidays and the “first two and last two days” of school holidays is already being drafted.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, for his part, deplored “the pattern of railway workers’ habit of calling a strike before every upcoming holiday.” “The French know that striking is a right” but “also that working is a duty,” he said on Wednesday.