The strike movement in several French refineries drags on and now one service station in three lacks fuel. On Tuesday, the government followed through on its threat and requisitioned personnel from fuel depots run by Esso.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Tuesday the requisition of personnel for the release of fuel depots from the Esso-Exxonmobil group.
A pay deal was reached on Monday evening with unions representing a majority of staff, but that was not enough to end more than three weeks of strike action.
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In recent days, from north to south of France, the same scenes are repeated: closed stations, endless queues, rising prices and motorists at the end of their tether.
The strike started at the end of September in refineries and fuel depots to demand wage increases has led to fuel shortages in around 30% of the country’s service stations, according to the latest figures from the authorities.
>>Read also: The strike movement at TotalEnergie and ExxonMobil renewed in the refineries
“Not acceptable”
When there are negotiation proposals, they have to be taken up. Otherwise it is no longer a strike to obtain results, it is quite simply a blockage of the country, and that is not acceptable”, declared the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire earlier in the day.
“If the CGT categorically refuses to engage in this discussion, we will have no other way than to requisition the necessary means to release the deposits and operate the refineries, quite simply because our compatriots cannot be the collateral victims. “, he added.
Continuation of the strike
At TotalEnergies, the employees voted again Monday morning “by a large majority for the continuation of the strike”, announced Eric Sellini, of the CGT.
On the Esso-ExxonMobil side, the two French refineries have also renewed the movement, at the call of the FO and CGT unions, despite the signing the day before of a wage agreement by two majority organizations at group level but not refineries.
In the event of a requisition, “we will go to court to have them canceled”, assured Eric Sellini, while the CGT of Esso-ExxonMobil denounced “a questioning of the right to strike”.
The unions highlight the super profits made by the oil groups, which benefit from the surge in prices linked to the war in Ukraine. TotalEnergies thus reaped $10.6 billion in profits in the first half.
>>Read also: The profits of the oil groups revive the debate on their profits
Exhausted motorists
However, many motorists and certain leading professions deplore this situation, such as private nurses, who are worried about not being able to visit their patients and endangering their health.
In Lille, the only gas station still open on Monday was stormed. “It’s been three days that I can’t stop looking at the application for fuel, I see that there is almost none. I even thought of going further, to Belgium”, testified Clara, a nursing student.
In some southern departments (Var, Vaucluse, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), the sale of fuel even had to be limited to 30 liters at all service stations. The objective being to “allow as many people as possible to refuel” and to avoid overflows in the stations.
“To stock up is to create a shortage”, underlined the prefect of Vaucluse, calling on citizens “to civic-mindedness and responsibility” to ensure the satisfaction of everyone’s needs.
doe with agencies