SNCF strike: chaos avoided on trains, controversy over use of "strikebreakers"

Localized disruptions on regional trains and near-normal traffic on TGVs: the "black week" announced at SNCF has not reached the scale hoped for by the group's protesting unions, who accuse management of having resorted to "strikebreakers." "There is a desire to completely invisibilize the conflict," complains SUD-Rail federal secretary Fabien Villedieu. His union, at the forefront of the protests , called on drivers to go on strike on Wednesday, then on ticket inspectors for the entire weekend starting Friday.

The CGT-Cheminots union called on all categories of staff to mobilize starting Monday. Both unions are demanding wage measures and better anticipation of schedules, which they find too unpredictable. The other two unions, UNSA-Ferroviaire and CFDT-Cheminots, have not called a strike.

"It is estimated that there are 40 "% of train drivers on strike" across France on Wednesday, Fabien Villedieu assures. The most affected regions are the Île-de-France region, with an average of one in two trains canceled, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, with only four out of ten TER trains running. TGV trains are running normally. At the beginning of the week, disruptions mainly affected Hauts-de-France, a stronghold of the CGT union. On the TGV side, the conductors' strike on May 9, 10, and 11 will only result in the cancellation of 10% of trains , according to management.

The SNCF managed to limit the effects of the strike by making massive use of "occasional support volunteers" (VAO), company executives who have received rapid training and are able to replace the train managers on an ad hoc basis.

These "scab mercenaries" are "extremely undertrained and extremely overpaid people," Fabien Villedieu fumed. The VAOs receive seven days of training and are paid between 15 and 50 euros per hour, depending on the type of service, to replace striking controllers. "It is not acceptable to exploit management in this way," responded CGT general secretary Sophie Binet. SUD-Rail has announced its intention to take legal action against this scheme.

However, according to a SNCF union official, "the movement is not as widespread as they (CGT and SUD) thought." Some regions were virtually spared, such as the Centre-Val-de-Loire region, where 16% of drivers were on strike on Tuesday.

Among ticket inspectors, the strike rate reached 31% on Friday, including around 60% on the TGV, according to employee statements of intent. It could be slightly higher on Saturday, according to an internal management document.

"Among the controllers, this strike is not as popular as previous ones," emphasizes Gilles Dansart, editor of the specialist newsletter Mobilettre and transport specialist. According to him, the younger controllers are out of step with the older ones, who are united within the National Collective ASCT (CNA), and are very committed to issues of career termination and retirement rights.

"The majority of unions do not support categorical movements," he adds. The "black week" was avoided, but "the hypothesis of a major conflict was not credible," he judges. The strategy implemented by management with the use of VAOs was also effective, says Gilles Dansart.

However, the unions are far from having given up. "Anger will remain and there will be follow-up to the mobilization. We won't stop there," warns Fabien Villedieu of SUD-Rail. The CGT-Cheminots union has already called for another day of mobilization by railway workers on June 5. After the failure of the last movement against the dismantling of Fret SNCF at the end of last year, the protesting unions are playing a big role in this issue.