The CFDT-Cheminots and Unsa-Ferroviaire unions have both announced their intention to sign an agreement proposed by the management of the SNCF to increase salaries in 2024. The CFDT-Cheminots indicated that after consulting their members and management structures, they were clear in their decision to sign the agreement. On November 8, the railway group proposed a salary increase of 4.6% on average for the year 2024, including a 1.8% general increase. The company also committed to increasing low wages so that none of them is lower than 1.1 minimum wage. A value sharing bonus of 400 euros must also be paid to the group’s more than 140,000 railway workers.
Unsa-Ferroviaire, the second union, also informed that it would sign the agreement. Between them, these so-called reformist unions weigh 42.67% of the votes against 57.33% for the CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail. Opposed to the agreement, SUD-Rail has already announced its wish to “build a powerful mobilization” on the subject of wages and called on SNCF management to “reopen negotiations” due to the weakness of their proposals.
The CGT-Cheminots, which has just elected its new general secretary Thierry Nier to replace Laurent Brun, simultaneously described the management’s proposals as “indecent and contemptuous in view of the accumulated salary dispute”. The unions have until the evening of November 22 to sign. Without a majority, SNCF did not ensure that the agreement would be applied in its entirety. Last year, only the CFDT-Cheminots signed the agreement on 2023 salaries. Despite the lack of a majority, the SNCF applied the planned measures.