UPDATE ON SITUATION – This Thursday marks the third consecutive day of action by strikers and unions, as the Senate adopted overnight Article 7 on the postponement of the retirement age to 64.
The union revolt continues this Thursday, with several actions against the government’s pension reform project. It’s about a “great day of energy sobriety“, had warned the CGT, which caused power cuts at the Stade de France and on the site of the Olympic village.
Fuel shipments remain disrupted in certain sites, and several ports are also still blocked throughout France. The Esso-ExxonMobil refinery in Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon has however announced the resumption of fuel shipments. This day is also that of young people. High school students and students were called to demonstrate this Thursday, and a mobilization has currently taken place in Paris.
Read alsoStrikes: the next national mobilizations scheduled for March 11 and 15, confirms the inter-union
Fuel shipments still blocked at some refineries
Fuel shipments have not left French refineries for several days now. Without creating a national shortage at this stage, they are still blocked this Thursday morning at the exit of the TotalEnergies refineries, reports the CGT-Chimie. For its part, the oil group specifies that “of the 290 operators posted this morning, 51% were on strike, i.e. 149 people“, before adding that he”it is indeed the operators on the first quarter and not all the employees of the refineries“. On the Esso-ExxonMobil side, the Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon refinery announced at 2 p.m. the resumption of fuel shipments. Those of Fos-sur-Mer remain blocked, with 70% of strikers.
“Yesterday, 7% of service stations lacked at least one fuel. You should know that there are always gas stations short of fuel regardless of strikes so we were slightly above the normal level of fuel stock shortages“, underlined this Thursday morning on Franceinfo Olivier Gantois, the director of the French Union of Petroleum Industries (UFIP EM). “There is no supply problem for service stations today in Francehe completed. Yesterday we delivered the normal amount of fuel from depots to service stations“.
Read alsoFuel shortage: 19 departments already affected
SEE ALSO – Pensions: the demonstrator accidentally injured in Saint-Etienne died
Shutting down power plants
The CGT Energy multiplied the targeted power cuts this Thursday. The Enedis distributor, however, denied to AFP the cut at the Stade de France announced by the union, despite an attempt by energy agents. “The power line that supplies the Stade de France has not been cut“Said a spokeswoman for Enedis, who confirms on the other hand”cutsin the commercial and residential area around the stadium, as well as on the site of the future Olympic village.
The Saint-Ouen power station, in Seine-Saint-Denis, was disrupted by demonstrators. About three hundred agents were present for this action, some of whom, hooded, raised their arms and lit smoke bombs to camouflage those who cut the power and thus put them out of sight and from the cameras. “Faced with a government straight in its boots, we too are straight in our boots (…) I appeal to the responsibility of the government and the President of the Republic: withdraw your reform and the electricians and gas workers will return to work for the public service and the general interest“, declared Sébastien Menesplier, secretary general of the CGT energy.
In Valence, the headquarters of Enedis on the Lautagne plateau has also been without electricity since 7:30 a.m. due to a wild cut, according to France Bleu. The CGT Énergie de la Savoie has also caused power cuts since 5 a.m. in the Landiers commercial area, north of Chambéry. More symbolically, demonstrators cut off the electricity to the second home of the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where he does not currently reside. This action aims to protest against the vote of article 7 of the pension reform, which pushes back the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
Agents also stopped the Drap power plant in the Alpes-Maritimes and cut the 220,000 volt line from Italy. On BFM TV, the secretary general of the CGT Énergie 06, Patrick Santo, warns the executive: “If the pension reform project goes to a joint joint committee – scheduled for March 15 – we will not forbid ourselves anything.The Principality of Monaco could thus be affected by targeted power cuts.
Read alsoPensions: the inter-union wrote a letter to Emmanuel Macron
Gas: the network is idling
The four French LNG terminals which receive imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are shut down. Regarding the storage sites, 13 out of 14 – but the last one is a small site without employees – are blocked. “Apart from the low import and biogas, there are no more entrants into the gas network“Says Fabrice Coudour, federal secretary of the FNME-CGT union.
“Little by little, the gas network is weakening“, he specified, not excluding “possible gas shortage” in a few days. “The determination is all the more intact as this passage of article 7 in the Senate reinforces a little the anger», assures Fabrice Coudour.
Transport remains disrupted
This Thursday, the transport networks are still disrupted by the renewable strikes. “Transport disruptions will continue until Friday“Warned the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, on Wednesday. According to RATPtraffic will be normal on the bus and tram networks, almost normal on the RER A, disrupted in the metro and very disrupted on the RER B. SNCF, the disturbances will also continue this Thursday: one out of three TGV Inoui will run, as well as one out of three Ouigo. In France, two out of five TER will circulate on average, depending on the region. The Intercités will also remain marked by the social movement, with one train in four during the day, and no train at night from Wednesday to Thursday and from Thursday to Friday. In the airline sectorthe Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has asked airlines to cancel 20% of flights at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport and 30% at the airports of Orly, Nice, Beauvais, Bordeaux , Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Marseille, Montpellier and Nantes, for the days of Thursday and Friday.
Read alsoStrike: traffic will remain severely disrupted at SNCF on Friday and this weekend
SEE ALSO – Pensions: “The determination is still there“, assures Martinez after the vote in the Senate
Mobilizations in high schools and universities
This Thursday, high school and university students are coming together to campaign against pension reform, but also to demand a rapid reform of the scholarship system. Several high schools are blocked everywhere in France: in Paris, Grenoble, Rennes, Bordeaux or even Marseille. Trash cans lined up in front of the gates of the establishments, banners waved, union flags floating in the air… the students continue to gather by the dozens. A demonstration from Saint-Lazare station in Paris began at 2 p.m.
Read alsoLIVE – Follow the day of mobilization of high school and university students this Thursday
A “dead port” in Saint-Nazaire
After a day “24 hours dead portWednesday, the port of Saint-Nazaire is still blocked this Thursday. Faced with the mobilization of sailors, boat traffic is greatly reduced. On the other hand, the dockers suspended their movement “to better harden it next week“, according to France Bleu.
A blocked toll in the Pyrénées-Orientales
Near Perpignan, on the A9 motorway, nearly 200 demonstrators have been blocking the Boulou toll since 7:30 a.m., according to information from France 3 Regions. “The objective is to materialize this France at a standstill“, indicates the union Force Ouvrière. Road traffic is thus disrupted with stationary vehicles and trucks. If the operation can still last, the police are currently on site and are waiting for the green light to unblock the situation.
SEE ALSO – Pension reform: the Senate adopts article 7 on the postponement of the retirement age to 64 years