SNCF rail unions demand wage increase over inflation, Digi Mart USA News (Saint-Denis, France): Railway unions gathered Tuesday outside the SNCF headquarters in Saint-Denis to demand a salary revaluation, according to CNews. The protest came two days before a general strike scheduled for Thursday, with several SNCF unions mobilizing ahead of a meeting with management on pay.
Fabrice Charrière, general secretary of Unsa Ferroviaire, told AFP that the union wanted a catch-up on inflation, which had risen well beyond what had been anticipated at the start of the year. The meeting with management was scheduled for late morning at SNCF headquarters.
Unsa Ferroviaire noted that the annual mandatory wage negotiations (NAO) had set a general pay increase of 0.5%, paid in two stages, based on an estimated inflation rate of 1.3%. According to the union, inflation reached 3.4% over the previous twelve months as of October, while the Banque de France projects 2.3% for the full year.
In this context, Unsa Ferroviaire is calling for a general wage increase of 2.6%, retroactive to July 1. Unsa Ferroviaire and the CFDT were the only organizations to sign the 2026 wage agreement, but it never formally took effect because the two unions together represent less than half of employees.
The text included a clause allowing talks to reopen if inflation diverged significantly from forecasts.
SNCF management confirmed Tuesday’s meeting but described it as a simple “progress point.” The company said wage negotiations for 2027 are scheduled to take place in January.
