The ongoing strike at the SNCF will lead to train cancellations on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 December, the weekend of major departures for the Christmas holidays. This situation, which testifies to a standoff between employees and management, is rare. But it has happened before.
The winter 1986 movement had been the longest and toughest since May 1968. It had been triggered by the sales staff, who denounced the abolition of a bonus. The other railway workers had followed suit, taking the unions by surprise.
The drivers, for their part, demanded the withdrawal of a salary grid which provided for merit-based pay. The notice originally ran for five days, but the movement eventually lasted from December 18 to January 15.
Passengers accommodated in trains
It became widespread on December 22, before spreading to the RATP. All of France had been shut down for the end of the year holidays. Some stranded users even had to be accommodated on trains.
In 2016, a TER strike in Pays de la Loire also took place on December 25. Traffic was also disrupted on December 26, 2008 and December 24, 2010.
The slow strike of 2019, against the pension reform, continued during the holidays. About 50% of the TGVs then ran at Christmas and New Year.
exceptional episodes
These episodes remain exceptional, however, and 1986 remains the only year in recent history in which a strike paralyzed the French rail network at Christmas, with the unions and the government most of the time reaching an agreement before the deadline.
In 1995, France mobilized against a pension reform project. Two million demonstrators are in the streets on December 12. Alain Juppé finally buries his law on December 15, so the Christmas strike does not take place.
In 2007, the CGT-Cheminots also threatened to strike. Isolated, the union had finally backtracked, after filing a notice for Christmas. The situation repeated itself in 2011. This time, the SNCF reached an agreement with the union on December 5.
December, the king of the strike
In 2011, when the movement had hardened with the approach of the holidays, negotiations had resulted in a lifting of the notice. In 2021, a call for a strike was launched on the TGV Sud-Est network, lifted on December 16.
In recent history, the month of December is the month with the most strike days, according to the history of strikes provided by the SNCF. This can be explained by the fact that the 13e month is paid at that time, which makes it possible to attenuate the loss of wages linked to the social movement.
In addition, going on strike at the Christmas period allows employees to impose a balance of power on management. The inconvenience caused by the social movement to the French demonstrate the importance of their work and the need, therefore, to pay better, according to the unions.