Following a well-attended one-day strike on Paris region commuter trains Tuesday, May 21, the French national rail service SNCF and its four labor unions negotiated on Wednesday on the bonuses that will be granted to railway workers mobilized from July 22 to September 8 during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Unions have until June 4 to validate the agreement, the company said. It refused to specify the overall cost of the plan, but stated it would have "no impact on taxpayers or on ticket prices."

"The proposed bonus is €95 [gross] per day worked during the sporting events for the 50,000 railway workers mobilized throughout the territory, whatever their profession," with a total amount of "€1,900 maximum," the SNCF leadership announced at the end of a round table that lasted more than four hours. A company executive explained that it had ruled out exceeding €1,900, the amount police officers working during the Games will receive as a bonus. CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou confirmed, speaking to BFM-TV, that the sum had been a "sort of republican reference" during negotiations. While the ceiling set for the Paris public transport workers at RATP is higher (up to €2,500 for a commuter train driver), it only concerns 5% of mobilized agents, he pointed out.

The agreement also provides for "€50 per day per household" for childcare costs, and the "possibility of deferring eight days' leave until June 30, 2025." With most of the events taking place in the Paris region, 30,000 railway workers will be mobilized there for a longer period than elsewhere in the country. Bringing spectators to the Stade de France twice a day for the athletics events is just one of the unprecedented challenges the rail company faces in the region.

Outside the Paris region, 20,000 agents will also be involved in welcoming and transporting the extra travelers expected for the Olympic Games, albeit for shorter periods. This will be the case in Marseille, for the sailing events, as well as Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, Saint-Etienne and Châteauroux. SNCF pointed out that "rail traffic levels will be higher than for a normal summer (on average +15% in the Paris region)." It will have to run "4,500 extra trains" in the Paris region (300 extra trains each day) and 370 extra TER trains to the cities hosting the Olympic Games.

Two of the four main unions, UNSA and CFDT, hailed "advances," while the other two, SUD-Rail and CGT, deferred to their members' decision. In a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete welcomed a "balanced proposal for an agreement to recognize the exceptional commitment expected of railway workers during the Olympic Games," but said he was "convinced that the strike [on Tuesday] did nothing to help this favorable outcome." He added: "It even did a disservice to the interests and image of the company and its employees in the eyes of the French people."

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