Many have not slept all night. In Vern-sur-Seiche, near Rennes, about fifteen people are gathered around a meager fire this Wednesday morning. Since 9 p.m. Tuesday evening, these construction and public works professionals have been blocking the surroundings of the oil depot operated by the Total group located a few kilometers south of Rennes. They were a hundred or so on Tuesday evening, determined to show the state that their companies cannot bear the rise in fuel prices alone. As of Tuesday morning, the depots of Lorient (Morbihan) and Brest (Finistère) had also been blocked by demonstrators.
In Vern-sur-Seiche, only tank trucks delivering non-road diesel are authorized to enter to stock up. “Some professions like farmers need it. We don’t want to block them, ”slips one of the demonstrators. Tuesday evening, several farmers came to park their tractors on the road leading to the depot, in order to prevent the tanks from approaching. The Vern platform is directly supplied by a pipeline that connects it to the Donges refinery (Loire-Atlantique).
With the blocking of several oil sites, construction professionals intend to put pressure on the State, raising fears of a rush on the pumps, despite prices still very high. “Today, we lose money every day we go to work,” said Fabien, owner of a company transporting raw materials for the building industry. Its trucks consume about 250 liters of diesel per day. With the explosion of the price, he estimates to lose “120 per day” if he continues to work. The demonstrators demand a reduction in fuel taxes by the State to lower the price of the liter. And the promise of 15 cents per liter promised by Jean Castex on April 1? “But 15 cents compared to what? If we are at 3 euros per liter, we will look smart, ”annoys Ludovic, owner of an earthmoving company.