Shortage of fuel at a gas station in Paris, October 15, 2022 (AFP / Christophe ARCHAMBAULT)
The government deemed “unacceptable” on Sunday the continued blocking of TotalEnergies refineries and depots despite a majority agreement on wages signed in the group, the consequences for many sectors of activity remaining significant.
“Of course there is a right to strike, but at some point the country must also be able to function. What is certain is that you have a few trade unionists who sometimes give the impression of sitting on the interests of millions of French”, denounced the Minister of Public Accounts Gabriel Attal during the “big meeting” Europe1 / CNews / Les Echos.
“I think you have several tens of millions of French people who at one time or another have been faced with these difficulties, either of a closed station or of a station in front of which you have to queue for two or three hours”, a- he added.
Gabriel Attal judged “unacceptable that there is the continuation of blockages even though majority agreements have been found to increase wages in companies. I find that incomprehensible. You sometimes have blockages which are disturbances to order audience”.
An agreement on wage increases was reached overnight from Thursday to Friday with two majority unions, the CFDT and the CFE-CGC.
The agreement provides for an overall “envelope” of a 7% salary increase, including a 5% general increase plus an individual share which may differ depending on the person. It also provides for a bonus of one month’s salary, with a floor of 3,000 euros and a ceiling of 6,000 euros.
The CGT continues to claim 10% corresponding to “inflation plus sharing” of the profits made by the oil company, namely 5.7 billion dollars for the second quarter alone (5.8 billion euros). The union intends to continue the movement until Tuesday, a day of interprofessional “mobilization and strike” to which FO, Solidaires and the FSU have also called.
– “it’s still very complicated” –
Votes for the continuation of the movement take place at each shift on the five TotalEnergies sites in France: refineries in Normandy located near Le Havre, the largest in France, Donges in Loire-Atlantique, La Mède (bio-refinery in the Bouches -du-Rhône), Feyzin (refinery in the Rhône) and Flandres (fuel depot in the North).
Striking employees and trade unionists in front of the TotalEnergies site in Donges, October 14, 2022 in Loire-Atlantique (AFP / LOIC VENANCE)
Punctual deliveries of fuel were however able to be made from Donges on Saturday. “We opened these taps to relax the atmosphere. The objective is not to divide the French, to create tension, the objective is now to bring the French together around the same claim”, indicated Fabien Privé. Saint-Lanne, CGT TotalEnergies secretary.
In total, 27.3% of the country’s service stations were considered Saturday “in difficulty”, that is to say affected by the rupture of at least one of their products, according to the Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier -Runacher, a slight improvement over the previous day (28.5%).
In the Ile-de-France region, this rate was much higher: 39.9% and up by almost three percentage points.
After the requisitions of striking personnel decided by the government a few days ago, “it will take several days before the situation improves enough for the French to feel it in their daily lives”, indicated Sunday Gabriel Attal.
A CRS monitors the exit of a tanker from the TotalEnergies de Flandres depot on October 13, 2022 in Mardyck, in the North (AFP / DENIS CHARLET)
“In 24 hours, following strike requisitions, you have 9,000 m3 of fuel that were able to come out of the depots, it’s the equivalent of 110,000 or 120,000 fill-ups for French people. The fuel gradually leaves the depots and comes to supply the stations, that obviously remains very complicated”, he continued.
At the same time, Sunday must take place a march against “expensive living and climate inaction”, at the call of the Nupes. Some 30,000 demonstrators are expected, according to the police who fear excesses linked to “the arrival of violent people from the ultra-left, ultra yellow vests who would like to disrupt the demonstration”.
© 2022 AFP
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