- Title: French oil depot stays blocked as strikers keep up pressure
- Date: 26th May 2016
- Summary: DONGES, FRANCE (MAY 26, 2016) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS BLOCKING REFINERY AROUND FIRE AT DAWN CGT UNIONIST LOOKING AT FIRE VARIOUS OF BLOCKADE GROUP OF "FORCE OUVRIERE" UNION MEMBERS GATHERED OUTSIDE OIL DEPOT GATE VARIOUS OF BLOCKADE STUFFED DUMMY WITH "VALLS" (FRENCH PRIME MINISTER MANUEL VALLS) WRITTEN ON IT OIL DEPOT SEEN FROM GATE DEFACED SIGN READING "OIL DEPOT ACCESS RESERVED TO STRIKERS" ROAD LEADING TO DEPOT WITH ROCKS AND BARRICADES SIGN FOR NEARBY TOTAL REFINERY VARIOUS OF UNIONIST CARRYING PIECES OF WOOD UNIONIST ADDING WOOD TO FIRE UNIONISTS GATHERED (SOUNDBITE) (French) CGT UNIONIST MATHIEU PINAULT, SAYING: "What we want today is for this to movement spread. All the other sectors in France seem decided to stop the factories to paralyse the economy so we really think that we have a wide movement which will continue with the will to impact the economy so in all logic it should force the government to withdraw this bill which isn't at all in everyone's interest." UNIONISTS GATHERED BLOCKADE (SOUNDBITE) (French) CGT UNIONIST MATHIEU PINAULT, SAYING: "The government has already forced the bill through despite 75 percent of the French not wanting it. So we expect the government to use force to get us out. But we have anticipated this with our set-up here, it is a factory. And it allows to paralyse the economy because today that's all they hear unfortunately. That's where we stand today, the government wasn't sensitive to the protests nor to the (negative) opinion polls." SIGN READING (French): "STRIKES AND BLOCKADES UNTIL THE LAW IS WITHDRAWN" VARIOUS OF BLOCKADE REFINERY IN THE DISTANCE
- Embargoed: 10th June 2016 08:59
- Keywords: protests oil blockade France reforms union
- Location: DONGES, FRANCE
- City: DONGES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0014JG24P3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Blockades of oil depots in western France continued on Thursday (May 26) with striking oil workers saying their aim is to paralyse the French economy until the French government withdraws a bill reforming the labour sector.
In Donges, workers were standing guard outside the SFDM oil depot at dawn, warming up to a fire blocking the road.
The stand-off between France's government and a hardline union over labour reforms showed no signs of waning on Thursday as the country mobilized strategic oil stocks for the first time in six years and employers warned the protests were starting to hurt the economy.
But unionists say their strategy is working.
"What we want today is for this movement spread. All the other sectors in France seem decided to stop the factories to paralyse the economy so we really think that we have a wide movement which will continue with the will to impact the economy so in all logic it should force the government to withdraw this bill which isn't at all in everyone's interest," said CGT union member Mathieu Pinault.
Ministers insisted that Socialist President Francois Hollande's government would stand firm and ensure fuel supplies, with strategic reserves large enough to last more than three months.
"So we expect the government to use force to get us out. But we have anticipated this with our set-up here," Pinault said.
At issue is a labour market reform to make it easier for firms to hire and fire. The government says it is crucial to fight rampant unemployment stuck at above 10 percent of the workforce. The CGT says it would dismantle protective labour regulation.
Other unions back the latest version of the reforms, which have been watered down by the government. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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