Status: 10/12/2022 4:21 p.m
The French government wants to end the strikes in fuel depots that have been going on for two weeks by decree. Because of the labor disputes at ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, gasoline and diesel have become scarce.
France’s government is cracking down on strikes in refineries due to the shortage of fuel. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has ordered necessary personnel at ExxonMobil’s Port-Jérôme refinery in Normandy to be put to work, government spokesman Olivier Véran said.
Borne is expected to seek a similar process for competitor TotalEnergies if collective bargaining does not take place there soon. “If the blockade continues, we do not rule out imposing the same rules on other refineries in northern France to ensure a quick release of fuel supplies,” said Véran.
Bottlenecks at a third of all gas stations
Because of the strikes, petrol and diesel have become scarce in France. After around two weeks of strikes, there are now bottlenecks at around a third of French petrol stations. There are regional differences, said the Prime Minister. Paris and northern France are particularly hard hit.
Drivers have had to put up with long waiting times to fill up in the past few days or have driven through cities in search of fuel. Some gas stations closed. The effects of the labor dispute have become unbearable for too many French people, Véran said. People could no longer drive to work, do the shopping or take their children to school.
Six out of seven refineries affected
Borne called for a rapid dialogue between trade unions and employers. In view of the increasing profits of the oil companies, the employees are demanding, among other things, a salary increase of ten percent for the current year.
Two days ago, two unions agreed with ExxonMobil on a wage increase. However, a third, radical left trade union wants to continue to strike. Six of the country’s seven refineries are affected by the strikes.
“Securing Vital Supplies”
The service commitment of employees should enable the filling of the tanker trucks in the refineries, said the government spokesman. If deliveries to the gas stations get going again, the situation could normalize within a few days. The majority of the unions involved reject the strike, which is one of the reasons why the state is intervening.
A needs requirement allows authorities to end strikes by a certain number of workers in key industries to ensure essential supplies. The government had already taken such a step in 2010 during a strike in refineries.