At SNCF, the countdown has begun. Tuesday, January 13th, is set to mark the end of the mandatory annual wage negotiations, in a social climate that management hopes to keep under control but which several unions consider explosive. Sud-Rail and the CGT Cheminots have already filed a national strike notice for that date, raising the specter of another major conflict on the French rail network. For several weeks, the management of the rail group, now headed by John CastexThe company is sending out numerous signals aimed at easing tensions. The schedule for the mandatory annual negotiations (NAO) was initially postponed from November to January, a deliberate choice to avoid industrial action during the holiday season. In December, the company also paid a profit-sharing bonus of €400 to all railway workers, presented as a gesture to boost their purchasing power. At the same time, management is highlighting what it considers the results of a more harmonious social dialogue, a legacy of the previous leadership. The absence of strikes during the Christmas holidays is cited as proof of a decrease in conflict, even though management acknowledges that this balance remains fragile and could be disrupted at any time.
Disputed salaries, bonuses and figures
Regarding compensation, SNCF (the French National Railway Company) is presenting figures intended to demonstrate the effort made in recent years. According to management, the average cumulative salary increase over the last three years has reached 16,4%, while inflation over the same period has been around 8%. It also claims that 95% of railway workers have individually benefited from a pay increase of more than 14%. However, these figures are far from convincing the unions, which denounce a misleading presentation of salaries, based on a complex combination of base pay, variable bonuses, and elements specific to train crew positions. For 2026, management suggests that the general increase could at least be in line with the 2025 inflation rate, estimated at 1,1%, following an average increase of 2,4% last year. The CGT railway workers' union considers the exceptional €400 bonus paid in December a swindle, as it fails to address their central demand for a general and lasting wage increase. The union is calling for a genuine thirteenth-month bonus and a sustainable increase in work bonuses, arguing that the one-off measures do not compensate for past inflation or the growing pressure on employees.
Sud-Rail adopts an even more offensive line
The union considers the bonus paid to be derisory, given that SNCF is expected to post over two billion euros in profits for the 2025 fiscal year. It is demanding a general increase of 400 euros per month for all railway workers, a measure whose cost, estimated at 1,2 billion euros, it argues is perfectly feasible. The union also disputes the argument that profits cannot be redistributed. Management, for its part, points out that the profits from passenger services are allocated to a special fund intended to finance the major infrastructure projects of SNCF Réseau, in a context of network aging and uncertainty regarding future funding. Beyond the annual salary negotiations, the unions emphasize that the issue of wages is approached differently depending on the employee's status. Seniority-based advancement scales primarily concern tenured railway workers, whose numbers are dwindling. Contract employees, who now represent nearly a third of the workforce, are much more directly dependent on annual negotiations, which increases the stakes of these discussions. With just days to go before the January 13th deadline, SNCF management still hopes to avoid open conflict by relying on dialogue and what it considers favorable figures. The unions, however, believe this is insufficient and warn that without a strong and lasting commitment to wages, a strike could become inevitable.
