Strikes at French oil giants to go on, though gov't says situation 'should improve'

Record ID: 1692829

  • Title: Strikes at French oil giants to go on, though gov't says situation 'should improve'
  • Date: 12th October 2022
  • Summary: PORT-JEROME-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE (OCTOBER 12, 2022) (REUTERS) TYRES BURNING DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE FROM LEFT-WING NUPES PARTY, MATHILDE PANOT, MEETING UNION MEMBERS ESSO SIGN DONGES, FRANCE (OCTOBER 12, 2022) (REUTERS) UNION FLAG AT REFINERY UNION MEMBERS GATHERED CGT UNION REPRESENTATIVE, FABIEN PRIVE SAINT-LANNE, SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) CGT UNION REPRESENTATIVE, FABIEN PRIVE SAINT-LANNE, SAYING: "There are two main reasons (for the strike). The first is that our colleagues from other groups have been on strike for 16 days without any response from the general management of Total. So there is a complete block of discussions and dialogue. And then the second point is that the threats of requisition that were evoked by the Borne government yesterday is an unacceptable infringement of the constitutional right to strike." PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 12, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CLOSED PETROL STATION SIGN READING: "TOTALENERGIES" CLOSED PETROL STATION DONGES, FRANCE (OCTOBER 12, 2022) (REUTERS) REFINERY UNION MEMBERS BOX READING (French): "FUND FOR THE STRIKE" UNION MEMBERS TOTALENERGIES REFINERY SIGN OF TOTALENERGIES (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORCE OUVRIERE UNION REPRESENTATIVE, MARIN GUILLOTIN, SAYING: "For the movement itself, the employees we represent are the only ones who will decide on the follow-up and how it will be done. But the more brutal the attack, the counter-attack will be just as brutal. We're not worried, the ideal would still be to listen to our demands that are legitimate, to open negotiations in 2022, to get everyone around the table and to quickly return to a normal situation." UNION MEMBERS GATHERED UNION FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORCE OUVRIERE UNION REP¨RESENTATIVE, MARIN GUILLOTIN, SAYING: "I understand because we are all fathers of families, we all have partners, we can understand, we are impacted ourselves, it's like the phrase 'Cobblers' children go barefoot', we will be part of it, but I'm a refinery worker and in fact, when I go on strike, unfortunately, I can't go without it, and therefore I understand them. But don't make the mistake of who is the enemy in fact - the enemy is finance, it is the management that gets rich and who refuse to negotiate. We have been asking for negotiations for a long time, and this is a situation in which we would not be in if we had been listened to long before." PORT-JEROME-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE (OCTOBER 12, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ESSO REFINERY AS AN OIL TANKER IS SEEN DOCKED ON SEINE RIVER
  • Embargoed: 26th October 2022 14:42
  • Keywords: France petrol station strike
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, FRANCE
  • City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001171912102022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: French refinery workers said their strikes will continue even as the government reassured the public on Wednesday (October 12) that the petrol shortage at stations will cease in the coming days.
    The French government on Wednesday ordered some staff at an ExxonMobil depot back to work and warned a TotalEnergies' depot could be next, risking a wider conflict with trade unions as it battles to secure petrol supplies following weeks-long strikes.
    The government said it was requisitioning some staff at the Gravenchon-Port Jerome depot run by Exxon's Esso France business, where the hardline CGT union remains on strike despite an agreement between management and other unions over pay.
    French oil group TotalEnergies has agreed to negotiate with the CGT union even though strikes at some of the firm's French refineries continue, a CGT union representative said after a meeting with company leaders.
    The CGT has called for support from workers in other sectors and there were signs of that happening after a representative of the FNME union said some staff at EDF's nuclear plants had resumed a strike over wages, delaying maintenance work on at least five reactors, including the Bugey facility.
    Government spokesman Olivier Veran said the impact of the strike had become "unbearable" for many French people and the requisitions should lead to a "very marked improvement of the situation in the coming days."
    Refinery and fuel depot stoppages in France are among the longest since the cost-of-living crisis sparked labor unrest across Europe.
    They have caused long queues at French service stations and rationing in some regions, and sent diesel refining margins to record highs in Europe and the United States.
    (Production: Stephane Mahe, Yiming Woo, Pascal Rossignol, Ardee Napolitano)
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