Dozens of meetings between the management of France's national railroad company SNCF and unions failed to defuse the social conflict. It is now certain that employees of the company will go on strike during the week of Monday, May 5, although it is currently impossible to predict the extent of disruptions for the upcoming long weekend. (May 8 is a public holiday.)

There will be multiple strikes, as two of the company's four major unions have initiated separate actions. SUD-Rail is urging ticket inspectors (or ASCTs in the company's jargon) to strike on May 9, 10, and 11, and drivers to strike on May 7. Meanwhile, the CGT is "calling all inspectors and train conductors to action starting May 5."

The movements are distinct but not unrelated. In early April, SUD-Rail was the first to file a strike notice, which the union claims to have "co-constructed" with the Collectif National ASCT (CNA, an informal and feared group of inspectors), which organized itself on Facebook and was behind disruptive strikes in 2022 and 2024. For its part, the CNA claims to have initiated the movement. However, as powerful as it is, the group cannot file a strike notice, a prerogative reserved only for the four representative unions.

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