Unions plan to put pressure on management and get salary increases, a Covid bonus and better working conditions.

In the absence of an agreement between unions and management, the call to strike on the southeast axis of the SNCF is maintained for the first weekend of departure for the Christmas holidays.

After noting the extremely deteriorating traffic from Friday to Sunday, Christophe Vanechette (CEO of SNCF Voyageurs) and Alan Krakovic (Director of SNCF Travel) on Wednesday evening presented the traffic forecast.

Concretely, one out of two trains will run on Friday on the southeast axis that mainly serves Lyon, Marseille and Nice and which was scheduled to travel 100,000 people. Traffic will be normal on the other hubs.

Trenitalia Arrival

Remember that unions intend to put pressure on management and get salary increases, a Covid bonus and better working conditions, while sector negotiations are underway at the moment.

This social movement is irritating SNCF at its highest point while bookings for this Christmas holiday are very good. Above all, it falls at the exact moment Trenitalia, the operator’s number one competitor to the TGV, will launch its courses to Lyon and Milan on Saturday.

“It’s a scandal at a time when the French need us the most,” SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Varandou said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“I have listened to what the unions are saying, and given concrete evidence,” he said. And to emphasize, “Frankly, that the blow to the southeast between Paris and Lyon at the time Trenitalia establishes a connection between Paris and Lyon, I do not understand.”

An earlier call to strike was made just before All Saints’ holidays on the southwest axis, but was ultimately not followed up.