Catherwood LibraryILR School

French state-owned railway company SNCF workers and CGT labour union members began striking in early April to protest French President Emmanuel Macron’s rail reforms; now, despite a continuing strike meant to derail rail traffic on 36 days over three months, Macron appears to be winning based on decreasing public support for the strike. Another poll shows that two-thirds of the public support Macron’s proposals to remove some employee benefits and cut the SNCF’s debt. Fewer employees are taking part in the strike, and many commuters have found other options to get to work or are working from home. While French union membership has held steady since the 1990s, union clout has declined and is no longer ideologically rigid. In addition to reducing some benefits, Macron’s reforms would convert the SNCF into a joint-stock company and reduce its monopoly on passenger traffic.