Union workers vote to shut down Total's Grandpuits refinery - union official

Record ID: 102365

  • Title: Union workers vote to shut down Total's Grandpuits refinery - union official
  • Date: 23rd May 2016
  • Summary: GRANDPUITS, FRANCE (MAY 23, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOTAL REFINERY CGT UNION WORKERS STANDING IN FRONT OF TOTAL REFINERY GATE SIGN READING (French): "On strike" FO UNION FLAG HANGING ON NO SMOKING SIGN TOTAL REFINERY EMPLOYEE GOING THROUGH GATE ENVIRONMENT CHEMICAL CLEANING COMPANY (CTP) EMPLOYEE OUTSIDE REFINERY ENTRANCE CGT UNION FLAG FLYING OVER TOTAL REFINERY (SOUNDBITE) (French) FO WORKERS UNION SECRETARY GRANDPUITS, FRANCK BOBARD, SAYING: "Sixty percent of the personnel present at the general assembly voted in favour of shutting down the refinery and the installations, meaning that currently we were running at minimum output, we continued to refine at minimum output and the products were stocked. During that time we actually set up an embargo, nothing was coming out of the refinery, now it will only intensify, meaning that now we straight out won't refine anything and all the products will remain undisturbed in their containers." VARIOUS OF TOTAL EMPLOYEES GOING IN AND OUT OF REFINERY (SOUNDBITE) (French) FO WORKERS UNION SECRETARY GRANDPUITS, FRANCK BOBARD, SAYING: "We're going to cause a fuel shortage. You know, in the media we hear that there won't be a shortage before three weeks time, it's been less than a week that we've mobilised all around France, there are already shortages everywhere. Let them try find some lies that are a little more credible." VARIOUS OF GATE CLOSING TWO GENDARMES GETTING INTO VAN GENDARMES SITTING IN VAN VARIOUS OF TOTAL REFINERY
  • Embargoed: 7th June 2016 16:03
  • Keywords: Fuel strike union refinery Grandpuits petrol shortage
  • Location: GRANDPUITS, FRANCE
  • City: GRANDPUITS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0014J158P3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Union members at French oil and gas company Total's 101,000 barrels-per-day Grandpuits refinery voted on Monday (May 23) to shut down production as part of an ongoing protest over labour reform laws, a union official told Reuters.
    The refinery, Total's smallest, but the closest to the French capital, has been running at minimum output levels since last week.
    Oil sector workers in the CGT, which is France's biggest trade union, and at the third biggest FO, said they planned to intensify the action until the government withdraws a labour reform law, because they say it will hurt workers.
    The rolling strikes, which began in March and have gathered pace in recent weeks, have disrupted fuel supplies in France since Friday with protesting workers blockading petrol depots and halting production at refineries.
    The French government has moved to reassure the public that France was not running out of fuel after shortages at hundreds of petrol stations in several regions sparked panic buying.
    But FO union's secretary in Grandpuits says the shortage is inevitable.
    "We're going to cause a fuel shortage. You know, in the media we hear that there won't be a shortage before three weeks time, it's been less than a week that we've mobilised all around France, there are already shortages everywhere. Let them try find some lies that are a little more credible," Franck Bobard said.
    Several departments have imposed fuel restrictions per vehicle and some banned filling up extra fuel in jerry cans.
    Finance Minister Michel Sapin accused CGT of holding France hostage, saying the government would take the necessary action to end the blockades and restart production at refineries.
    Unions said they were determined to continue their protests as long as the government did not withdraw its bill, something Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Sunday in a joint interview on BFM TV and France 24 he did not intend to do.
    Total said in a statement that 612 out of its 2,200 petrol stations across France had partially or completely ran out of fuel, while striking workers were blockading two out of its nine fuel depots. There are 78 primary fuel depots in mainland France.
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