SNCF: be careful if you have to take the train on Tuesday October 1st, a strike notice has been filed by unions

Unions have filed a strike notice for this Tuesday, October 1st. Illustration dpa – Sebastian Kahnert

The CGT and Sud Rail have filed a strike notice for this Tuesday, October 1st. This could cause traffic problems or delays on certain trains. Be careful if you have to travel on that day.

While the rail unions are meeting this Thursday, September 26th in front of the Ministry of Transport, recently occupied by François Durovray, a strike notice has been filed by the CGT cheminots and the Sud-Rail union, for the day of October 1st.

Several topics are on the table for the representatives of the railway staff, who denounce, in addition to the new government, reforms such as the liquidation of Fret SNCF or the creation of TER subsidiaries.

“The liquidation plan for Fret SNCF is continuing without taking into account the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry commission and the demands of the trade union organizations. This is also the case regarding the creation of TER subsidiaries that our federations denounce since nothing obliges management to make this choice other than that of breaking the social rights of railway workers”,indicates the press release, distributed on social networks.

Other demands are mentioned: retirement, salary increases…

Strike, what impact for travelers ?

As with every railway workers' strike, traffic forecasts will be known 48 hours in advance. You will therefore need to find out from Saturday evening, September 28, whether your journey is likely to be disrupted.

Liquidation of Freight

This Thursday, September 26, it is above all the liquidation of Freight SNCF that is being denounced before the Ministry of Transport. As a reminder, after an investigation was opened by the European Commission's competition directorate, which concluded that the public company had benefited from an overpayment of state aid, recalls Libération.

In response and to avoid having to repay the debts, the Minister of Transport at the time, Clément Beaune, announced a  "discontinuity plan", which initiated a liquidation procedure and split Fret SNCF into two entities and will have to cede 30% of its business and 20% of its turnover to the competition.