The Central Personnel Department develops the company’s general policy on personnel administration, and ensures liaison at national level, both with government authorities and with trade union organisations and their representatives. This role also includes oversight of the personnel’s special Social Security scheme and the review of medical and social welfare matters arising from this special scheme. The Central Personnel Department deals with all matters of principle or concerning SNCF as a whole. As of 30 October 1939, it is organised into two divisions:
The Central Personnel Administration Division, responsible for staffing matters, relations with trade union organisations, dealings with the Military Authority, as well as personnel administration and the drafting of instructions
The Central Social and Medical Service Division, also responsible for the prevention of workplace accidents as well as matters of staff leisure and housing
Lastly, it should be noted that the Pensions Service later formed a third Central Division.
The Department’s remit is set out in General Order no. 18.
Application of the collective bargaining agreement
- Drafting of all instructions relating to staff status and general administration, in liaison, where relevant, with the technical departments concerned (Track Department …)
- Monitoring the application of instructions
- Handling of specific cases not covered by the instructions
Relations with trade union organisations and staff representatives
- All matters relating to the exercise of trade union duties (leave, secondment, etc.)
- Staff representatives, joint committees, works committees, safety delegations
- Audiences granted by the Director General or the Director of the Central Personnel Department to national trade union organisations, liaison with Departments M, T, V, for audiences granted by these Departments whenever personnel matters are discussed
Personnel administration
Recruitment of permanent staff and apprentices
- General guidelines on recruitment policy
- Conditions for admission to permanent staff
- Studies relating to the determination of permanent staffing levels, in liaison with Department B and the technical departments concerned
- Preparation of the annual recruitment programme for junior staff and the table of graduates, in liaison with the technical departments concerned
- Processing of junior staff applications, holiday internships
Promotion in grade
- Matters of principle relating to promotion in grade
- Classification and reclassification
- Preparation of career-path tables, in liaison with the technical departments concerned
- Transfers and change of residence
Staff remuneration
- Study of matters of principle
- Drafting of instructions relating to remuneration. Submission of these instructions to the higher authority
- Preparation of pay scales
- All matters relating to pay, bonuses, allowances, benefits (other than family benefits) and gratuities (permanent staff, auxiliary staff, staff of the Social and Medical Departments, seconded staff).
Labour regulations
- Studies relating to labour regulations, in liaison with the Higher Administration, and oversight of the application of instructions to the various categories of staff
- Preparation of duty rosters and shift schedules, in liaison with the technical departments concerned
- Regulation of leave of all kinds
Use of labour, auxiliary staff
- Guidelines concerning the application of the provisions of the Labour Code and labour legislation
- Preparation of staffing statistics
- Monitoring of staff numbers
- Hiring and laying off of labour, in liaison with the Ministry of Labour and with the national, regional and departmental labour commissions; liaison with employers’ and workers’ organisations; reserved jobs
- Guidelines relating to secondment to organisations outside SNCF and to railway organisations; oversight of the application of these guidelines
- Studies relating to staffing levels (review of proposals from the Regions in agreement with the technical departments concerned)
Disciplinary measures, commendations
- Centralisation of proposals, submission to the relevant Ministries and bodies
- Matters of principle relating to sanctions
- Study of cases submitted to the Director General
- Measures of pardon, clemency or amnesty
- Decorations, honorary distinctions and various commendations; honorary status
Travel privileges (FC) for staff and their families (serving and retired staff)
- Preparation of regulations concerning travel privileges; submission to the Higher Authority; drafting of instructions implementing these Regulations
- Ordering and distribution of travel passes for the whole of SNCF; issuing of certain special passes
- In liaison with the General Secretariat, issuing of travel passes for secondary networks and foreign networks
Military affairs
- Relations with the relevant Ministries
- Call-up or recall to the colours of SNCF staff; voluntary enlistment
- Special assignment; deferred call-up
- Proposals for incorporation into the 5th Engineer Regiment, Field Railway Sections
- Veteran’s card
Special affairs (AS)
- Matters relating to war veterans and victims of the War; application of legislation; handling of specific cases.
- Guidelines concerning the administration of staff of the General Management departments; pay of these staff, excluding staff of Department A.
- General documentation on personnel matters
Staff vocational training
- General organisation of vocational training at SNCF (including apprenticeships), in liaison with the technical departments concerned
- Relations with schools and vocational training centres, relations with the Ministries of National Education and Labour
- Studies relating to staff selection and vocational guidance
- Psychotechnics laboratories
- Application of psychological methods to staff selection, guidance and vocational training
- All matters relating to the development of teaching methods for vocational training in general and for vocational training staff
- Determination of the cost price of vocational training. Expenditure analysis
- Preparation and implementation of the programme for creating and modifying vocational training centres
- SNCF general training school
Organisation and methods
- Studies on the organisational structure of personnel departments and administrative offices other than the Personnel Departments, in liaison with the departments concerned
- Modernisation of working methods, tooling and installations
- Oversight of the organisation of Personnel Departments
- Review of “Personnel” suggestions
Administration and pay of senior officials
Social security
Pensions Service
- Study of matters of principle concerning old-age, invalidity and death insurance
- Settlement and administration of pensions granted under SNCF’s pension scheme
- Renewable assistance service
- Service for annuities arising from workplace accidents
Provident Fund
- Study of matters of principle concerning health and maternity insurance
- Service for benefits in kind under health and maternity insurance for staff and their families, excluding care provided by the Medical Departments to staff themselves
- Award of the capital sum provided for in the event of the death of the staff member, their spouse or a minor child
- Payment of end-of-career allowances
- Service for benefits in kind to those injured in workplace accidents, excluding care provided by the Medical Departments
- Settlement of annuities arising from workplace accidents
Family benefits
- Study of matters of principle concerning family allowances, single-wage allowances, supplementary family allowances, prenatal allowances and maternity allowances.
- Preparation of instructions to be issued to the various departments concerned
Workplace accidents
- Study of matters of principle concerning the prevention and compensation of workplace accidents
- Organisation of workplace accident prevention
- Development and approval of instructions to be issued to the various departments concerned
Social services
- Professional responsibilities relating to supplies, foodstuffs, clothing, etc.; staff shops; cooperatives; canteens; collective gardens
- Assistance, advances, ordinary loans, marriage loans, honour allowances and loans for study costs; Œuvres des Pupilles (children’s welfare fund)
- Social assistance, social health centres, reception and rest establishments, support for staff and families; physical education and youth centres; holiday facilities; training of supervisory staff; social cinema
- Budget, works and acquisitions of a social and medical nature
- Central social activities committee and specialised commissions
- Social services of the General Management departments
- Medical services
- General organisation of medical services and rest and convalescence establishments
Contents
Staff files
The files contained in these record series address the following themes:
- Military affairs concerning the requisitioning of retired staff, and more generally the mobilisation of labour, the removal and relocation of departments, the special assignment of staff, and the Field Railway sections
- Award of assistance to staff wounded or killed due to acts of war
- Awarding of decorations or commendations
They also contain archives relating to the communist and Gaullist activities of railway workers, to disciplinary sanctions imposed during the period, to the administrative purge, to the various amnesties, and to career reviews following the War.
Nominative record cards
These are pieces of information, in the form of card-stock records, compiled by the Central Personnel Department around the following themes:
- Changes in staff numbers
- Victims of the War and the Occupation
- Railway workers’ resistance
- Sanctions applied to SNCF staff
- Forced labour
- Purge measures