Cheminots and Unsa-Ferroviaire have announced their intention to sign SNCF’s proposed agreement on wage increases for 2024. The railway group has offered a 4.6% average wage increase, including a 1.8% general increase, as well as a commitment to raise low wages so that none of them are below 1.1 times the minimum wage and a €400 value-sharing bonus for its more than 140,000 rail workers.
According to a press release from CFDT-Cheminots, after consulting with members and management structures, they have decided to sign the agreement. Unsa-Ferroviaire also stated that it would also sign the agreement. These reformist unions represent 42.67% of the vote against 57.33% for CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail, which oppose the deal.
SUD-Rail has already announced its intention to “build a strong mobilization” on the topic of wages and called on SNCF management to “reopen negotiations” due to the perceived weakness of their proposals. Similarly, CGT-Cheminots described SNCF’s proposals as “indecent and despicable given the mounting wage dispute.”
The unions have until November 22th to sign the agreement, but without a majority, SNCF did not ensure that the agreement was implemented in its entirety last year when only CFDT-Cheminots signed a 2023 wage agreement, yet SNCF implemented the planned measures despite lacking a majority.
This proposed agreement comes amidst ongoing labor disputes within SNCF over issues such as pay equity and job security. The railway group has faced criticism from some unions for not doing enough to address these concerns and improve working conditions for its employees.
In light of this context, it is worth noting that this proposed agreement represents an important step towards addressing these concerns and improving working conditions for rail workers at SNCF. It remains to be seen how successful this proposal will be in achieving these goals, but it marks an important milestone in ongoing efforts by unions and management at SNCF to address these issues head-on.