Privatize the SNCF? Eric Ciotti is seriously thinking about it. The day after a new strike which disrupted the smooth functioning of rail transport in Île-de-France, the boss of the Republicans took a swipe at the public company. “There has not been a year, since 1947, when the SNCF has not been on strike,” said the representative of the right on the set of BFMTV, accusing the unions of blocking “those who working”.
Returning to the contested agreement on pensions concluded between the social partners and the management of the SNCF, which aroused criticism as far away as Bercy, the deputy for Alpes-Maritimes denounced a “purely scandalous” text. And to announce the tabling of a bill aimed at “privatizing the SNCF”. “Today is enough. This company must be subject to competition, there must be freedom,” he argued, citing the examples of FranceTelecom or La Poste. “This was done with the airports. Are they blocked? Isn’t this working?” pretended to wonder the politician, who had already called, at the end of April, to “think about a form of privatization of the SNCF”, in an interview with L’ Opinion.
This speech comes as the SNCF unions are preparing to reach an agreement with management on Olympic bonuses. This meeting, scheduled for this Wednesday, was preceded by a massive strike on Tuesday, organized to put pressure on the company, to the great dismay of users, accustomed to repeated social movements within the railway group. “This strike is not acceptable. A negotiation cannot be compared to a threat of sabotage of an event of national interest such as the Olympics,” criticized the Minister of Transport, Patrice Vergriete.
Éric Ciotti, at the same time, showed himself open to a possible privatization of France Television. “Why not ? So many channels, is it necessary? […] There is no taboo! If we want to save money, we have to stop with the measuring sticks,” he said. A plan very different from that of the government, which is currently working on a merger of public broadcasting within France Media in 2026.