Railway Workers' Federation
The Railway Workers' Federation is the largest trade union representing workers on the railways in France.History
The union was founded in 1917 as the National Federation of Railway Workers of France, the Colonies and the Protectorate Countries, and affiliated to the General Confederation of Labour. In 1921, many members left to join the United General Confederation of Labour, but they rejoined in 1935. In 1939, union members who refused to denounce the German-Soviet pact were expelled, and in 1942, Pierre Semard, the union's former leader, was executed by the Vichy regime.
In 1947, many on the right-wing of the union left to join Workers' Force. The CGT union remained the largest on the railways, and regularly undertook industrial action in defense of pay and conditions.
By 1994, the union had 58,822 members. By 2019, this had declined slightly to 42,640.
