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In September 2000, French public transport was hit by a number of strikes. The conflicts centred mainly on pay, reflecting a widespread feeling among French workers that, after years of wage restraint, they are now entitled to a share of current economic growth.
Impatience among French employees over wages appears to be growing (FR0009191F). No major industrial conflict has yet hit the private sector in autumn 2000, but pubic transport trade unions went on the offensive in September, organising a number of stoppages.
Action started at the Air France airline, where a three-day strike was organised by flight staff unions. Although the unions involved do not have majority support (as measured in the most recent workplace elections), they still managed to disrupt domestic air traffic. These stoppages were designed to push management into convening talks on the reduction of working time for pilots.
The rail network was the next area to be affected. At SNCF, initial localised action was followed by an across-the-board one-day strike organised by the major unions. This move was intended to force management to reconvene talks on wage increases now that the corporation has, for the first time in many years, posted a small profit. All the unions represented at SNCF are demanding that management revisit the commitments negotiated in the June 1999 agreement on the reduction of working time, which provides for wage restraint until 2001 (FR9906193N). This agreement was signed by the two major unions at SNCF, CGT and CFDT. The unions contend that the situation has since changed. In their words, "the French economy and SNCF's financial position have improved" and levels of rail traffic have increased. As such, the pay of existing employees and new recruits should be increased.
Many employees followed the strike call at SNCF, unlike the situation at the Paris local transport authority (RATP). Here, when major industrial action was called over wages, working time and staffing levels, management succeeded in alleviating tensions by pushing ahead more quickly with a major recruitment drive and the implementation of the 35-hour working week (FR9907199N).
This series of strikes seems to underscore the view that we are now witnessing the return to a more assertive attitude among employees. It would seem that they are committed to casting off their former attitude of "resignation", especially on the issue of wages, that has dominated over the past few years. To date, the economic recovery which began in 1997 has been taking place against the backdrop of broad wage restraint, which has been entrenched further by company-level negotiations on the implementation of the 35-hour working week legislation (FR9806113F). However, from the workers' point of view, low collective wage increases stem from a much earlier period, indeed as early as the beginning of austerity measures in 1982. As a result, strikes in support of wage demands became less common. However, today, renewed economic growth, exceptionally high corporate profits and skill shortages in some sectors have combined to create a situation where workers are less prepared to accept wage restraint.
Consequently, the recent industrial action in public transport might lead to greater assertiveness in terms of demands across all sectors of industry. Of all the unions, CGT and CGT-FO seem to be the most aggressive. According to the CGT-FO general secretary, Marc Blondel, his union intends to "fight agreements on the 35-hour working week which include wage restraint." Maryse Dumas of CGT has made a link to the current attitude of the MEDEF employers' confederation, saying that "MEDEF, instead of constantly complaining about too much government involvement in industrial relations, would do well to advocate genuine sector and company-level wage negotiations." CGT intends to champion the expectation expressed by workers in a recent CGT-initiated survey, which indicated that 65% of employees are prepared to mobilise on wages. Reaction from some public transport users would suggest that the expectations of workers in this sector and other sectors are not necessarily compatible. CFDT, through one of its national secretaries, Eric Thouzeau, was keen to downplay the inconvenience to SNCF travellers: "We announced the strike well in advance. SNCF customers would understand that we too are entitled to share in economic growth".