It is the shoemakers who are the worst shod, goes the saying. A formula that lends itself well to employees of TotalEnergies service stations: while the group has largely benefited from the surge in oil prices, linked to the war in Ukraine, wages have not budged a penny despite the galloping inflation. The CGT has therefore called for a strike, demanding an increase to the height.
What partially paralyze the Argedis network, a subsidiary 100% owned by the energy giant, which operates 185 service stations on major highways and in peri-urban areas. “On all the stations in France there are strikers,” said Djamila Mehidi, CGT union representative, specifying that four stations were at a standstill, on the Montluel area near Lyon on the A42; at the Lançon-Ouest rest area (Bouches-du-Rhône) on the A7; at the Jeanne-Rose rest area (Saône-et-Loire) on the N70; and at the Caylar rest area, near the Millau viaduct, on the A75.
“We are the largest subsidiary in terms of employees, and we are the worst paid”
Management has, according to her, agreed to “discuss”, Monday at 1:30 p.m.: “I said that I was open to discussion if they listened to our salary expectations”, she added, indicating her intention to vote on Friday on the principle of a new strike day, June 29, in the event of inconclusive discussions. When questioned, the group’s management neither confirmed nor denied the holding of this meeting. Given the inflationary context, the group had indicated on Thursday that it planned to “anticipate” in the last quarter of 2022 the holding of the mandatory annual negotiations which usually take place at the start of the year. A date far too late for the CGT.
“If what management offers us on Monday is not up to par, Wednesday we will continue,” said Djamila Mehidi, stressing: “we are the largest subsidiary in terms of employees, and we are the worst paid”. Beyond the service stations, the CGT had called for a strike throughout the group and its subsidiaries in France.
Employees are on strike in all the refineries, according to Eric Sellini, CGT coordinator for the group, who affirms that the movement gives rise to a “blocking of shipments in all refineries and large depots”, while around fifteen of factories of the Hutchinson subsidiary (seals for the automobile and aeronautics), as well as the factories of the Saft subsidiary (batteries for maritime transport) are also affected by the strike, according to him.