He succeeded on November 1 st Guillaume Pepy on the head of the SNCF. In a context marked by the lengthy battle towards pension reform and opening as much as competitors, Jean-Pierre Farandou now needs to revive social dialogue and offers himself a yr to construct a brand new enterprise mission.
You’ve simply offered monetary outcomes that aren’t good. How are you going to rectify the SNCF accounts?
JEAN-PIERRE FARANDOU. I don’t suppose these outcomes are unhealthy, regardless of the strike. Gross sales elevated by 5.1% to 35 billion euros and profitability by 11% to five.6 billion euros. One other signal that the group continues its march ahead, final yr we invested greater than 10 billion euros within the community, rolling inventory, stations, info techniques … Lastly, on employment, we’re one of many greatest recruiters in France, with 12,600 folks recruited in 2019 within the group. There may be additionally unhealthy information. Beginning with the debt which reached 60 billion euros earlier than the takeover of half by the State. It took over 25 billion on January 1, 2020, it is going to take an extra 10 billion in 2022.
What was the impression of the strike towards the pension reform in the long run?
We misplaced 600 million in 2019 and 330 million in 2020. With out the strike, our accounts would have been constructive by 313 million and there we’re unfavorable by 330 million. For 2020, we’ve adopted a financial savings plan of 200 million euros to make up 60% of this strike impact. Investments or initiatives can be postponed and we will even do business revival. Presently, we’ve an ongoing promotion marketing campaign with 5 million TGV seats under 35 euros.
A examine of 60 million shoppers as soon as once more denounces the complexity of SNCF fares. Will you simplify them?
It’s a request from our prospects that I hear. You recognize, after we supply 10 euros tickets on a Paris-Bordeaux, it’s needed, to stability our accounts and finance the modernization of the community, to incorporate within the business supply premiere tickets at 100 euros. In any other case, we don't make it. That is what I name Robin Hood pricing. In order for you low costs, you additionally want excessive costs to stability. That is what makes excessive pace common. In Ouigo, which make up 25% of our TGV seats, two thirds of seats are lower than 25 euros. Value variation can also be the one strategy to fill trains throughout off-peak intervals.
Are you going to develop new low-cost TGV gives?
We truly wish to supply a suggestion on high-speed traces in Spain on December 14, since Spain has determined to open its traces to competitors. Thalys already has its personal supply known as Izy, with Paris-Brussels for instance from 10 euros.
Does the opening as much as competitors in France frighten you?
Quite the opposite, it makes us wish to transfer even sooner. In November of this yr, a name for tenders can be launched to decide on a brand new operator, for 2 Intercités traces, one between Bordeaux and Nantes, the opposite between Bordeaux and Lyon. The PACA area will even launch its personal name for tenders on two traces, one which hyperlinks Marseille to Good, through Toulon and Cannes, and the opposite, which known as the Etoile de Good, connecting Cannes. , Menton, and so on. Different areas similar to Hauts-de-France will even launch their requires tenders. We intend to reply them clearly and win.
Regarding SNCF prospects, you wish to scale back the queues on the counters. Does this imply that you’re going to hand over personnel to the stations?
Sure. We should put sources again on the counters, strengthen the 3635 and extensively deploy the ATMs that settle for change. The purpose is that in July, folks don't queue greater than 30 minutes after they wish to purchase a ticket.
SNCF experiences repeated social conflicts. What are you going to do to resume the thread of dialogue with the railway staff?
I would like an organization that’s each environment friendly and human. The SNCF should proceed its ahead march in the direction of extra effectivity and competitiveness, that is important and this have to be achieved with the 140,000 railway staff. It’s important to hearken to them and put the human again within the middle. After I arrived, I decreed a six-month break in reorganizations and layoffs to present me time to debate with the unions on concrete organizational issues. We can’t run SNCF with out the unions representing the employees. Nevertheless, social dialogue had been broken.
Whose fault is it ?
The previous is the previous. What issues to me is what we’re going to do. And to re-establish the hyperlink, the foundations of social dialogue have to be laid. A type of respect has already been restored between administration and the unions. Now we’ve to agree on a social agenda. I’m able to open negotiations in a short time on the unity guidelines of the brand new SNCF or the applying of the Pénicaud ordinances on social and financial committees. Second initiative, I would like inside a yr to co-build with all of the railroad staff a brand new enterprise mission declined within the 300 institutions of the corporate. I imagine that it’s prone to forge a typical future for us and to present a spot and views to every railway employee.
Your predecessor Guillaume Pepy favored dialogue with the reformist unions. Will this even be your case?
All unions are respectable. It’s regular that I’ve relations with the primary of the SNCF which is the CGT as I’ve relations with the three different consultant organizations UNSA, Sud Rail and the CFDT.
Do you approve the bonuses granted to non-strikers and the calling of strikers earlier than disciplinary boards?
Premiums aren’t a choice of the President of SNCF. However that institution managers grant distinctive gratuities to executives or brokers who’ve invested in public service, I don’t see something irregular. For the remaining, I’m an actual Republican: I respect the correct to strike however, in return, we should respect the brokers who wish to work and the customers who need trains. There have been instances which have disturbed this rule of the sport. They’re marginal.
SNCF is underneath investigation for involuntary homicides for the Brétigny catastrophe which left seven folks useless in 2013. The trial will open quickly. Is a brand new Brétigny attainable?
My first thought is for the victims and their households. Brétigny was a shock for SNCF and for all railway staff who’ve safety pegged to the physique. A really vigorous motion plan has been put in place on infrastructure and safety procedures. Between 2018 and 2019, we decreased safety occasions by 21% they usually have been halved since 2015.
By way of rail security, are there any black spots to be handled on the SNCF community?
No. There aren’t any extra black dots. An actual in-depth work on safety has been achieved with convincing outcomes.
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