It is a week of all the dangers that opens at the SNCF. These Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, three negotiation tables must be held around the salaries of the 148,000 employees of the group (Mandatory NAO) and the particular case of the captains (controllers) and signalmen.
The tension is higher than ever. First, because strike calls have been submitted for the Christmas and New Year weekends, and then because the historic unions of the SNCF are no longer the only ones to claim and act.
The case of the captains (controllers) is symptomatic. At the origin of the very popular strike last weekend, they organize and act through independent entities such as the “national ASCT collective” which brings together 3,200 members on Facebook. It is also through social networks that these groups discuss and act, completely outside of traditional negotiation channels.
Faced with “the ill-treatment, we have decided to organize ourselves”
This is the first time that a popular movement of this type has not been the result of union action. It is the result of a deep and long-standing discontent, explains Mika (who insisted on anonymity), co-founder of this collective.
“The anger has been growing since 2007 actually with the deterioration of our working conditions, the question of promotion, the increase in the difficulty of the controller’s job and more and more responsibilities. In fact, the non-recognition of the difficulties of our profession We consider that there is a real mistreatment by the management and a real lack of social dialogue ”, he explains.
“But for a few months now, discontent has been exploding. However, despite our constant feedback to principals, we have received absolutely no response. Therefore, we have decided to organize ourselves, to structure ourselves with this group that was launched in 3/4 months”, continues the employee.
Apart from the power of the unions… “Indeed, we started working on our demands without the unions”, confirms the co-founder.
Unions sidelined but finally involved
Why? “The unions did not defend us personally and they had a more global approach, which did not advance things,” continues Mika, who also highlights the “democratic and free” organization of the collective, as opposed to the more rigid organization of the unions.
However, the employee believes that the SNCF central unions got the message pretty quickly. “This group has allowed us to work better with them, raise our demands, 4 out of 5 unions follow us. Our demands are legitimate, they have been assumed as is and can be based on the union tool”.
Still, this new independent player on the SNCF’s social board somewhat divides the unions, themselves engaged in infighting.
“Any group must go through the unions” Judge Unsa
The leader equates this group to the Yellow Vests, characterized by lack of structure, distrust of political parties and unions, for carrying “demands that say everything and the opposite, that sometimes have neither tail nor head, like a petition profit- share from SNCF”.
However, it is out of the question not to try to hang on to the carriages of these buses. “We exchange with certain representatives that arise from this group, we do pedagogy around the demands, we raffle with them.” But Didier Mathis insists: it is the unions that negotiate, not the collectives.
However, we have read that this group had been well received by the management before the strike movement of December 3 and 4. “They were received because they joined our delegations,” says the manager.
“The unions that accompany us invite a member of the collective to each negotiating table” confirms Mika. At SUD-Rail, the appearance of this group seems to have a better reception.
“Management has finally understood the discomfort of the flight attendants, it’s up to them to let them know”
“Many staff representatives have been dismissed following the implementation of Macron’s orders, which led to the removal of many CSEs from the group. So we don’t have staff representatives everywhere. There is a desertification on the ground. The intermediary body no longer exists”, he continues. the official.
The union says that it has no problem representing this group “because since they were organized we are their spokesperson.”
What worries the SNCF management a lot, which hopes that this week’s negotiations will not be a blow in the water with the risk of seeing them decide to act alone outside the instructions of the operator’s historical unions and decide for a Christmas strike that would be catastrophic for the SNCF.
Because the amplitude of the movement of December 3 and 4 surprised with 60% of the TGV withdrawn.
“We go there with the aim of finding solutions,” confirms to AFP Nicolás Limón, one of the founders of the group. “Our line of sight is to pick up the signs,” he said. “We are not going to make it difficult but we want serious things and without smoke,” he insists.
“Our goal is really not to strike at Christmas”
Mika thus emphasizes that the collective presents 5 demands, of which only one is related to remuneration. “There are things like professional development, career paths or work organization, particularly issues related to overly severe medical exams that lock controllers in the station, that don’t cost anything.”
And explain that there is no reason for this group to continue if the demands are met. Although he shows some optimism: “The management has finally understood the discomfort of the flight attendants, it is up to them to make it known.”
Questioned by BFM Business, SNCF does not make “any comment on the collective” but stresses “that the negotiations carried out by management are with the unions.”
Regarding the captains, the company highlights that “important concrete measures have been proposed.” In other words, “an increase in the work bonus of 600 euros/year for all employers, in order to recognize the specificities of the profession. A partial integration of the work bonus in the fixed salary in 2024, the acceleration of the progression of remuneration for all on-board supervisors throughout their professional career and the transition to 2 on-board supervisors per train for all TGV INOUI within 3 years.”
“For greater recognition of the employer profession and its specificities, additional measures have been proposed to significantly improve the consideration of the medical situation of the agents, and to facilitate the change of profession for those who wish to do so,” he continues.
Source: BFM TV
