Road transport unions are calling on drivers and workers in the sector to go on strike on June 27th and block industrial sites to put pressure on employers.
France increased the minimum wage for HGV drivers to €10.49 in April 2021 as part of a collective agreement. However, dissatisfaction flared up in the autumn, when there were several protests. In the middle of December, action by striking drivers also caused 600km of congestion on France’s roads.
Wage negotiations started in January of this year, but it took several weeks and heated discussions for agreement to be reached. The parties eventually agreed to an increase of 5% in February, followed by another 1% in May. The unions demanded an increase of at least 10%, but the CFTC, the CFDT and the CFE-CGC, the majority of the unions, ended up agreeing with the employers’ federations, OTRE and FNTR.
However, no one had foreseen the scale of inflation Europe is experiencing back in February. The rising cost of living has significantly increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and unions have reacted by demanding another wage increase.
The trade unions are calling on the employers’ federations to get around the table once again to reopen wage negotiations. They also accuse the French Government of ignoring the problem.