Fret SNCF: the management presents its plan to avoid a strong European sanction

The management of the société Fret SNCF a présenté vendredi aux syndicales organizations are “plan de discontinuité” visant à éviter une lourde sanction de la Commission européenne, alors qu’une centaine de cheminots manifestaient devant le siège de l’entreprise, à Saint-Ouen , near Paris.

Threatened with having to pay a debt of 5.3 billion euros considered by Brussels to be illegal state aid, which would immediately lead to bankruptcy, Fret SNCF must give way to a new, smaller company and cede 20% of its business to the competitors. “What is happening to us is not our fault, it is not a business decision,” said the general director of Fret SNCF, Jérôme Leborgne, before a hundred protesters.

“I understand the concern and anger of the railway workers. This case is really a shock, especially since, for two years in 2021 and 2022, we were positive on operating margin for the first time thanks to the commitment of railway workers. “, stressed the person in charge.

Minority shareholder in the capital of the two new entities of the merchandise division

Presented on Friday before the Economic and Social Committee (CSE) of Fret SNCF, the plan presented to Brussels by the French State provides for the creation on January 1, 2025 of a new company, currently called New Fret. This must take charge of activities that represent 80% of the billing and 70% of Fret SNCF’s traffic, and employ 90% of its almost 5,000 railway workers. Another company (New Maintenance) has to take care of the maintenance. A minority shareholder, which Paris expects to be public, will have to enter the capital of these two new entities, which will be attached to the merchandise division of the SNCF group. All agents must be reassigned to the new entities or added to the group, depending on management.

The demonstration, at the call of the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa Ferroviaria, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions, did not prevent the meeting from being held. “We nationalized the losses and privatized the profits,” denounced Fabien Villedieu for SUD-Rail.