Commission initiated multiple strategies to guarantee execution of proposed measures.
Here Comes the Rail Disruption! 🌍🚃 Trouble's brewing on the tracks as French railway unions, such as Sud-Rail and CGT, are geometry to create a ruckus during the May 8 long weekend. These industrious troublemakers, aka workers, are keen on giving the SNCF a piggyback ride straight to chaos.
© Bloomberg/Getty Images By Josephine Pelois General news journalist our site.fr Published on
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Brace yourself for a "black week" according to Fabien Villedieu, the secretary general of Sud-rail union. The unions have their eyes peeled on the May 8 long weekend. Sud Rail and the CGT have filed strike notices for the week of May 5 to 11. In a statement, the CGT Federation urges "our drivers and commercial train service agents to band together and strike beginning May 5." On the other hand, Sud-Rail has extended an invitation to conductors to strike on May 7, the day before the public holiday.
Now, let's talk about what the SNCF had to say about this impending apocalypse on wheels. They warned passengers that "TGV Inoui and Ouigo train traffic might face interruptions between Monday, May 5 and Sunday, May 11" due to "social unrest." They let passengers know that their travel plans could be altered with updates provided the evening before departure after 5 p.m. The train companies have reached out to affected passengers via email or SMS.
May Long Weekends: What's the Big Deal if Your Kid Skips School? 👨🦳👧
So, Why The Ruckus on the Rails?
The unions are keeping their foot on the pedal with management about wages and work schedules/conditions. The CGT-Cheminots is pushing for a reform of the traction bonuses for drivers. Management says they've "knocked it out of the park during the annual negotiations." "There's always room for more negotiations, whether it's half-yearly or quarterly," management maintained. They also stressed that the average wage increase for agents is capped at 2.2% for 2025. The unions counter with a general increase claim of 1%.
Seeing eye to eye with both unions and management has proven tricky like a game of chess. Management and management tools are under fire from the unions. Controllers criticize the organization of work and the employment of new tools, stating they're contributing to a deterioration in relations between operators and supervisors. They also demand an extension of the activity anticipation leave to more agents.
On LCI, Sophie Binet, head of the CGT, stated she was ready to "suspend" the strike notice if the demands of railway workers were "fulfilled" before May 5. "If we negotiate now, we can avoid this," the union leader emphasized. The Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, on the other hand, estimated that "some unions seem unwilling to move towards a resolution."
By the way, here are the keywords you should know:- SNCF- train- strike- Sud-Rail- CGT
Rail Union's Main Complaints
- Wage Issues:
- The unions want higher traction bonuses, even during sick days, and a simplification of the bonus pay structure[5].
- They are also requesting a 100-euro monthly increase in work bonuses for inspectors[5].
- Work Schedules and Conditions:
- Unions cry foul over worsening work conditions and insufficient pay raises[5].
- They criticize the organization of work and the use of new tools for controllers, which they blame for the poor relationships between operators and supervisors[1].
- The French railway unions, such as Sud-Rail and CGT, have announced plans to create a disruption during the May 8 long weekend.
- Fabien Villedieu, the secretary general of Sud-rail union, has warned of a "black week" for the upcoming May 5 to 11 week.
- The unions, including Sud Rail and the CGT, have filed strike notices for the aforementioned week.
- In a statement, the CGT Federation encourages drivers and commercial train service agents to band together and strike beginning May 5.
- Sud-Rail has extended an invitation to conductors to strike on May 7, the day before the public holiday.
- The SNCF has warned passengers of potential interruptions in TGV Inoui and Ouigo train traffic between May 5 and 11 due to social unrest.
- The rail unions' main complaints include wage issues and poor work schedules and conditions, with demands such as higher traction bonuses, work bonuses for inspectors, and better organization of work and the use of new tools for controllers.
- The rail migration, marked by strikes and other forms of disruption, has become a hot topic in the realm of policy-and-legislation, politics, general news, and crime-and-justice.
