(en) France, Alternative libertaire AL #240 - Railroaders: Make no mistake referral (fr, pt)

Two cases punctuate social issues in the railway sector: a law is in preparation and 
negotiations will be around for future sector collective agreement. ---- The law on the 
organization of the rail system must be submitted to the National Assembly in mid-June and 
early July in the Senate, while preparing negotiations for a future national collective 
agreement of a railway branch whose contours are not determined. ---- Not surprisingly, 
two logics clash: the employers and the government want to increase privatization and 
outsourcing, strengthen social dumping, always generate more profits for the shareholders 
of private companies; the employee-es and the majority of trade unions seek additional 
resources for enhanced public rail service and the alignment of social rights and labor 
regulations of all employee-es the sector that has been acquired by more a century of 
struggle railway and railway workers.

Small historic return

In 1997, the station was divided into two: one railway undertaking kept that name, while 
the railway infrastructure management was entrusted to a company invented for it, R?seau 
Ferr? de France (RFF). The Chirac government avenged railway and railway workers led to 
the strike in December 1995 , bursting work collectives and organized the continued 
butchering of the public company to allow more private place.

This law was confirmed by the PS / PCF / Green government including the Minister of 
Transport was Jean-Claude Gayssot (PCF). For fifteen years, apart from the CFDT in the 
early years[1], CGT there is little, SUD-Rail over time, consensus was reached on the 
acceptance of this stupid bursting of the railway system , yet the undeniable 
consequences, including in terms of efficacy and safety.

Today, the government is trying to "sell" his bill highlighting the reunification of RFF 
and SNCF within a "public group" . In fact, he dismembered more public rail service by 
creating three public institutions, industrial and commercial (Epic), where there were 
only two (SNCF and RFF). Most importantly, it strengthens the former RFF ponctionnera more 
the public rail company SNCF-renowned Mobility[2], more and more diluted in a large 
capital group transportation and logistics privatized in all continents through its 
numerous subsidiaries!

Railway Act, submitted to Parliament, is organizing the privatization of rail passenger 
transport, cargo after the establishment under a previous "left" government.

Platform of demands

If the CFDT has chosen to support the government and employers' decisions, CGT, UNSA and 
SUD-Rail, which represent more than 70% of the vote in recent elections professional, 
established in February 1 platform of demands to impose the unitary voice of railway 
workers and railway in the discussions. On the form, the content reflects the compromise 
needed to raise the support of the three trade union organizations; on the bottom, this 
unitary platform is uncompromising and affirms the principles and offensive claims. 
Especially, it allows collective local activists to organize trade union unity at the base 
and the extension of a national inter-union agreement that gives confidence to employee-es.

Equality for all and all employee-es

Meanwhile, negotiations for the establishment of a national collective agreement (NCC) 
began; they are only in the infancy but already a major topic shows the different 
strategies is that the scope of this future NCC. Logically, employers are for the smallest 
possible field that defines the project of railway law is limited to railway undertakings: 
unify the working conditions and remuneration of employee-es, it does not interest them; 
however, the division is the!

But the union side, things are not simple.

SUD-Rail claim "equal status and equal rights for all workers in the railway sector, based 
on the status and SNCF regulation needs to be improved" .

With some variations, the other union federations refuse to include in this SCC workers in 
subcontracting (railway catering, cleaning, service stations, etc..). Unify all 
employee-es of the railway sector in the claim and the struggle for improved rights and 
equal for everyone, however, is a major issue!

It is outrageous that in some organizations override a non-questioning of federal baronies 
(the example of "ports and docks," which continue to capture almost all unionized workers 
CGT-cleaning, but this n ' is not the only sticking point).

Side SUD-Rail, if the claim is correct, its translation into action is difficult: many 
local teams, consisting overwhelmingly of railway workers and railway SNCF, ignore the 
union labor to employee-es of many companies private sector, which significantly weakens 
the ability of action.

Autog?rons our struggles!

May 22 morning, we were hundreds to occupy the seat of the SNCF and the national 
demonstration organized by CGT, SUD-Rail Unsa and was attended by about 15,000 railway 
workers in the streets of Paris, with a strong majority CGT. Early May, the issue of 
follow-up to this event was raised.

For federation SUD-Rail and several unions CGT, it must be a forward extendable that the 
law was debated in the National Assembly national strike. Move beyond protest to build an 
offensive protest movement, that is the challenge and the revolutionary syndicalists have 
a responsibility to make it so.

Take our business in your hands, use tools such as trade unions, organize general meetings 
to discuss and decide together, let the unit to the base to impose federations who refuse: 
resume the offensive!

Workers in the railway sector AL

[1] The CFDT-Railroaders is then further animated by "the left CFDT" whose members join 
the CGT and SUD-Rail in 2003.

[2] From 1997 to 2013, the SNCF has paid to RFF 39.88 billion euros in tolls to run its 
trains on the tracks built by the railroad! Under the increasingly autonomous pulse 
Guillaume Pepy, the operating activities (freight, outline, TER, stations, etc..) And 
multiplication subsidiaries of private law became the rule (252 affiliates!)