The following is translated from the Le Monde newspaper's website. Following a long period of anger over pensions and the rising cost of living, in the wake of an inconclusive battle over the special regime pension reform in the Autumn, it looks like the French unions are gearing up for another battle. Whether the militancy and self-organisation of their members gives them a fright, and obliges them to sink back into their usual containment strategy of negotiations with one demo every two months, remains to be seen..

The eight unions that organise the SNCF (state rail network) and the three unions organising the RATP (Paris public transport) launched a call on the 15th of May for a strike on Thursday the 22nd of May, the date of a joint mobilisation between union confederations on the question of pensions. In air transport, the CGT, CFDT, FO and CFTC unions which organise Air France had already made a call for a strike on the 22nd of May.
At the SNCF, the joint declaration from CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, SUD-Rail, UNSA, CFE and CGC will run from 8PM Wednesday 21st of May until 8AM on Friday the 23rd of May and “will allow rail workers to participate in joint inter-industry initiatives decided upon for Thursday the 22nd of May. The seven unions “demand the withdrawal of the lengthened pension contribution period, for a full and sufficient retirement pension” but also “the re-opening of salary negotiations”.

They are also demanding “negotiations on the question of the special regime”, the special retirement package for rail workers, which was reformed during the Autumn. Their pension contribution period will pass gradually to 40 years by 2012, from today’s figure of 37.5 years. The government foresees lengthening this period to 41 years by 2016, as this period of pension contributions will be generalised throughout the public sector by 2012. An eighth rail union, the FGAAC (train drivers), has announced a separate strike of their own from Wednesday.

In Parisian public transport, the majority union on the RATP, the CGT, along with FO and CFDT, are also calling workers out on strike on the 22nd of May. UNSA-RATP, the network’s secondary union, and the CFTC, have not yet taken a position.