The State was regularly forced to implement rescue plans

On 6 November, the trade unions CGT railwaymen and South-rail called the strike to protest against the new regulations proposed by the Directorate to 800 voluntary freight drivers, denouncing a "social dumping".

Since the opening of the carriage of goods to competition, it is true, the SNCF freight branch quickly lost ground to private, or foreign operators who already took 8 of the market. The causes are known: the freight costs are, admittedly even branch, 20 to 30 too high, because a rigid labour organization. Thus, the actually worked time is 1.120 hours per year, instead of 1.568 hours theoretical (35 hours per week).

While rail freight has many assets, this activity to the SNCF is declining. The State was regularly forced to implement rescue plans. But. Result announced deficit of EUR 300 million for 2008 which forced Guillaume Pépy to launch a final restructuring plan.

However, after the cargo is regional passenger transport which, in 2009, will be the object of the desire. Then on January 1, 2010, international transport will be open to competition with the possibility of cabotage. Air France-KLM announced plans to create a subsidiary of transport railway high speed. After the painful experience of the freight, SNCF does not want to lose the game in other sectors. But it really was the means to prepare

The end of the monopoly of the national railway undertakings is announced since 1991. The main European railways companies are prepared to this challenge and several countries have outstripped the dates deadlines set by the European Union. The Germany opened its railway activity competition for twelve years. Deutsche Bahn has thus increased the volume of its activity despite the emergence of new operators, overall, representing 16 of the market.

During this time, the SNCF chose to use the expedients subsidies, manoeuvres to delay European deadlines rather than reorganize its staff management procedures. Thus, the benefit net consolidated 1.109 million euros 2007 could be achieved only through the payment of current direct grants EUR 8 billion by the State and communities. With 4 billions of subsidies paid to RFF, public support for the rail sector represents an annual burden of 470 euros per tax household taxable. And, despite these injections, the investments are overdue.

Instead of finance sites to improving its effectiveness, subsidies are absorbed to compensate chronic deficits of productivity of the national operator. To be within the average of the foreign companies, the SNCF group should reduce its staff by 30 and to question a social very generous policy to meet its cost and finance on its own resources.

The crisis of the SNCF freight should use last wake-up call for other activities. Without having taken into account, the SNCF has more than a year to achieve a quantum leap in efficiency and adopt a clear and reactive, organization by aligning the conditions of employment and retirement of the employees on those of its competitors.

The number of railway and branch began to become aware of the seriousness of the situation. But, without action lucid and devoid of ideology of key players State shareholder, branch and trade unions the future of one of the major business French, SNCF, likely to be good compromise from December 2009.