At this meeting we did not receive the responses we had the right to expect. Despite a letter and high-level discussions, the President has brought forward no new proposals likely to reassure the staff.

The trade union organisations CGT, FO, SUD Rail, CFE-CGC and FGAAC, jointly affirm that only a massive mobilisation by railworkers is capable of making the company back down on its latest demands.

Accordingly, the trade union federations CGT, FO, SUD Rail, CFE-CGC and FGAAC have decided to call a national rail strike for Wednesday November 8, 2006.

SNCF FREIGHT

SNCF Management has failed to hide from its clear responsibilities and that of the Government in the current running down of SNCF FREIGHT.

Disorganisation, shrinking of production, cutting over 7,000 railworkers’ jobs, closure of stations, of freight sidings and marshalling yards, wagon repair workshops, the loss of a great deal of traffic, support for private sector competition … all constitute the tangible elements of the plan for FREIGHT 2004-2006.

Management makes a great pretence of remaining serene but in vain, it is not serene about it any more than Mrs. IDRAC who is hiding the forecasts for the FREIGHT sector, which estimate a reduction in 2006 to 38 billion tons/kilometer (possibly less) compared with 55 billion tons/ kilometer in 2000.

The railworkers’ Trade Union Federations demand the immediate announcement of:
• The halt to irreversible decisions, which weaken productive capacity.
• The confirmation that FREIGHT will not be vested as a separate company.
• Confirmation of the policy of developing the volume of SNCF FREIGHT activity with the corresponding means.

RULINGS ON PRIVATE OPERATORS

The railworkers’ Trade Union Federations have signalled their opposition to SNCF Management and to the Government, in relation to work regulations, for the workers of private operators of rail transport, which supports social dumping and is leading to the death of SNCF FREIGHT. The first retreat by the government has already taken place by not publishing the rulings.
• Only one Working regulation is required in the railway sector and the application of RH 0077 to all Railway Transport personnel.

SNCF SERVICE PUBLIC

The restructuring of SNCF into separate sectors has only one goal, financial profitability. It has as a consequence the reduction of labour costs and the abandonment of activities judged to be non-profitable, the subsidiarisation or the contracting out of activities.

For that purpose, various projects are cropping up everywhere. The Industrial Logistics Plan (PLI) with plant and workshops closures. Plan VFE with the closure of stations, ticket offices, shops, Administrative Centre Hot Lines, offices and of social establishments and the Alliance project for the ASCT. With the Public Transport Sector, it is management by line of TER (Regional Railways Services) and Transilien (Greater Paris Services). As for Civil Engineering, there are modification of maintenance and of course the concept of brigades. With Traction Maintenance, management obstinately refused to respond by May 31 2006. Add to this the plan for freight and the conclusions are alarming for the network audit, the entire project of reorganisation, mergers, contracting out and subsidiarisation. All grades are affected, all railworkers are concerned.

The railworkers’ Trade Union Federations reaffirm their commitment to:
• The integral character the Public Company.
• The unity of all grades and all subsidiaries.
A fatal blow must be dealt to the dismantling of the railways, the reorganisations, and the subsidiarisations whether at the planning stage or currently in progress; it is necessary to regain development of the public utility and of our working tool.

JOBS AND CONDITIONS

The impact of all the reorganisation projects and reorganisations has meant that employment of railworkers with full statutory rights has reduced by 14,000 since the end of 2001.

The lack of railworkers is felt hard on the ground with repercussions for the service to rail users and working conditions for railworkers.

Reduction of employment and the threats which burden the Public Company SNCF do not reassure railworkers on the future of their Statutory rights and conditions of our special retirement scheme and insurance.

The railworkers’ Trade Union Federations underline their determination to fight anyone who puts in question our regime special of social protection. This constitutes a social retreat and a new attack against all workers within the framework of the pension reforms planned for 2008. They require:
• The halt to job cuts.
• The immediate implementation of recruitment planned for 2006.
• The implementation of a programme of recruitment of railworkers with full statutory rights for future years.
• The respect for all subsidiaries.
• Immediate recruitment of 1,500 statutory railworkers to respond effectively to the increase in VFE traffic and TER and with the need for development for FREIGHT.

WAGE POLICY

The railworkers’ Trade Union Federations underline their united claim, which lead in springtime on wage questions, which has constrained Management and the Government drop more than they had initially bargained for:
• A general increase in wages and pensions from + 1,8%.
• A work bonus of 10 euros monthly.
• Low-wages measures.

Still, important claims remain outstanding. Management must answer them. Therefore, the railworkers’ Trade Union Federations demand immediately:
• The payment of a 13th salary month.

DISMISSALS

The railworkers’ Trade Union Federations note the intensification of disciplinary measures, which translate into an increase in the dismissals. As a consequence, they require: the suspension of the disciplinary boards and disciplinary measures until the conclusion of experts on the Mosaïque system of evidence collection.

THE INTERVENTION OF THE RAILWORKERS IS NECESSARY

Conscious that only the mobilisation of railwaymen and railwaywomen will make it possible to impose alternative choices of development of the Public utility and social progress, the railworkers’ Trade Union Federations CGT, FO, SUD-Rail, CFE/CGC, FGAAC invite all railworkers to take part in a

National Rail Strike

“All together” on Wednesday November 8, 2006

For this purpose, the federations give formal notice of strike action for the period from 20.00 hrs Tuesday November 7, 2006 to 8.00 on Thursday November.

Paris, on October 20, 2006