Galvanized by the strong mobilization during the first day of strike against the pension reform, Thursday, January 19, the unions want to raise their voices while waiting for the next meeting scheduled for January 31. And each federation develops its strategy to maintain the pressure. At the SNCF, the four representative trade union organizations (SUD Rail, CGT Cheminots, Unsa Ferroviaire and CFDT Cheminots), meeting this Friday, January 20 in the afternoon, discussed the follow-up to be given to the movement.
“The railroad inter-union has decided to join the mobilization of 31. We also discussed other possible methods”, confides Éric Meyer, federal secretary of SUD-Rail. The railway unions mentioned new dates for mobilization “upstream and / or downstream” from that planned by the eight confederations. They could be attached, or not, to January 31.
“Each organization will consult its base to find out the expectations and desires of railway workers”
The hypothesis of a renewable strike has, however, been ruled out. “We are working on raising the level of mobilization among railway workers and, indeed, we will probably go beyond what is programmed”, had already warned Laurent Brun, secretary general of the CGT Cheminots, this Friday morning on RMC.
For the moment, no collective decision has been taken. “Each organization will consult its base to find out the expectations and desires of railway workers”, says Thomas Cavel, general secretary of the CFDT Cheminots. “We will provide an answer Tuesday noon, adds Didier Mathis, secretary general of Unsa-Ferroviaire. In any case, we hope first of all for a large mobilization on the 31st, like that of this Thursday. In fact, 46% of railway workers declared themselves to be on strike. Their counterparts from the RATP, whose special regime is threatened by the reform, are to meet on Monday.
In other sectors, such as energy, trade unions have already announced a hardening of mobilization. On the teachers’ side, the Sud-Éducation union (minority) called for a renewable strike from January 31. High school blockages are also planned “from next week” by the National High School Movement (MNL), according to its general secretary Charlotte Moisan.