The recent strikes at SNCF have been very unpleasant for passengers, but extremely useful for employees of the French state-owned rail operator.
At least three of the four representative unions at SNCF are preparing to sign an agreement with management on pensions.
The document will contain an improved “early retirement” clause, allowing for retirement without a huge financial penalty. This will allow railway workers to be paid 75% of their salary in the last 18 months before retirement age, provided they work nine months of that period. Under the current rules, the facility is valid for only one year – six months of which are worked – and the percentage of pay from salary is only 60%.
The facility could be extended to 30 months for employees who have worked in special conditions, such as train drivers. They would be paid 100% for the 15 months actually worked and 75% for the rest.
The SNCF strikes have brought even more benefits for controllers
Ticket inspectors, who went on strike for a weekend during the February holiday, a protest that affected 150,000 passengers, got even more: 36 months’ early retirement with 18 months worked, paid at 75% of salary. The agreement to be signed includes other provisions on part-time work at the end of a career.
The social partners have until next Monday to clarify their positions. CGT-Cheminots, the rail group’s largest union, immediately announced that it would sign the agreement, which brings “new rights for all”. Two other representative unions within SNCF, namely Unsa-Ferroviaire and CFDT-Cheminots, have also announced their intention to sign the document.
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