The SNCF railway group has proposed a salary increase of 4.6% on average for the year 2024, including a 1.8% general increase and a commitment to increasing low wages so that none of them is lower than the minimum wage. Reformist unions CFDT-Cheminots and Unsa-Ferroviaire have announced their intention to sign the proposed agreement, while left-wing unions CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail are opposed to it.

The CFDT-Cheminots and Unsa-Ferroviaire indicated in separate press releases that they have decided to sign the agreement after consulting members and management structures. These unions represent about 42.67% of the votes against 57.33% for the left-wing unions, who want to “build a powerful mobilization” on the issue of wages by calling on SNCF management to reopen negotiations due to the weakness of their proposals.

SUD-Rail, which represents about 10% of SNCF’s railway workers, described the management’s proposals as “indecent and contemptuous in view of the accumulated salary dispute.” They are asking for more substantial increases in salaries and better working conditions for their members. However, without a majority, SNCF did not ensure that the agreement would be applied in its entirety last year when only CFDT-Cheminots signed it. This raises concerns among some workers about whether this year’s measures will be fully implemented if there is no majority support from all unions involved.