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Crédit Agricole Staff Stage Rare Nationwide Walkouts Over Pay and Job Fears

Union leaders demand reopened talks with protections for staff threatened by the 'efficacité' reorganization.

Overview

  • Coordinated stoppages on January 22 affected most regional banks, with actions planned across at least 35 of 39 caisses and 78,000 employees targeted by the call to strike.
  • The action follows year-end pay talks that delivered roughly a 0.5% general increase, which unions rejected as inadequate, while management highlights discretionary individual raises set locally.
  • Sneca and Sud-Cam led the call, joined by CGT, Unsa and the independent Sniacam, marking an unusually broad front in the traditionally strike-averse banking sector.
  • Unions oppose the 'efficacité' plan to mutualize functions, citing job risks including about 150 roles flagged in the Centre Ouest caisse, as management frames the program as operational streamlining.
  • Union tallies point to 112 branch closures in 2025—about double recent years—with Thursday’s action producing closures or reduced service in some locales, despite solid profits near €3.2 billion over the first three quarters of 2025.