TGV Atlantique: the call for a strike by drivers for the next weekend lifted

Europe 1 with AFP 11:38 am, October 28, 2021

The unions on Wednesday lifted the call for a strike by SNCF TGV Atlantique drivers launched for the weekend of All Saints' Day, said SUD-Rail and the CFDT-Cheminots who had called for this strike with the CGT-Cheminots .

This call to strike from Friday noon until Monday noon was lifted after new negotiations "until late Tuesday evening" and a consultation of employees on Wednesday, said Erik Meyer, Federal Secretary of SUD-Rail.

After a first strike last weekend, "the notice has been lifted by the three trade unions", declared Thomas Cavel, general secretary of the CFDT-Cheminots. The three unions had called on the TGV Atlantique drivers to strike to denounce the deterioration of their working conditions and remuneration, a lack of staff and the refusal of leave. Their unlimited notice allowed a strike every week from Friday noon to Monday noon.

In a "statement of decisions" drawn up at the end of Tuesday's "conciliation" negotiations, the management of the Traction TGV Atlantique establishment underlines that "the validity" of its proposals "rests" on the lifting "of the notices from Wednesday "to" guarantee the "planned" transport plan over the coming weekends ".

"The struggle and the mobilization of employees pay off"

During the last negotiations, "we were not entirely satisfied", but "on the whole, we are rather satisfied", summarized Erik Meyer.

“The struggle, the mobilization of employees pay off,” he said.

"We had posed the problems for a long time," said Thomas Cavel.

Last weekend, "it was not a surprise strike. We regret that we had to go through a conflict. CFDT side, we held on to our two fundamentals: quality of life at work and remuneration", a- he noted.

"We have made progress" on these two points, "in particular on maintaining the workforce and professional careers," he added.

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The unions obtained from the management the "commitment" to "improve the quality of the working days" of the drivers marked by a "high amplitude", with hours of train journey without driving - and therefore without driving bonuses - , in order to make the days "shorter and less painful", detailed Erik Meyer. The management also agreed to keep the "professional paths with the maintenance" of the number of drivers "authorized on TGV", while the company "wanted to remove dozens", which would have "slowed down the professional development" of the drivers. , he explained.

In addition, a premium of 1,200 euros for drivers and a premium of 800 euros for other staff of the Traction TGV Atlantique establishment will be paid "in December", according to Erik Meyer.

New discussions on the remuneration of all TGV drivers are planned "on November 17" during compulsory annual negotiations (NAO), he said.

Last week, the Atlantic Axis drivers' strike led to the suppression by the SNCF of one in ten Atlantique TGVs on Friday, two out of ten on Saturday and one in three on Sunday.

Monday, the traffic had been almost normal.