Advertisement

French government to order strikers back to work to end fuel crisis

AFP/The Local France
AFP/The Local France - [email protected]
French government to order strikers back to work to end fuel crisis
Vehicles wait in line to refuel at a TotalEnergies petrol station on the outskirts of Lyon, on October 10, 2022. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

The French government has announced that it will engage a rarely-used emergency power to force strikers back to work and end blockades at fuel refineries that have seen filling stations across the country run dry.

Advertisement

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Tuesday afternoon that the government will use the power of réquisition to end the strikes Esso-ExxonMobil group's depots, which have seen almost a third of filling stations in France run short of petrol or diesel.

Borne said: "Social dialogue means moving forward, as soon as agreement has been reached. The management's announcements are significant. Therefore, I have asked the local authorities to engage, as permitted by law, the procedure for requisitioning staff essential to the operation of the depots of this company."

The réquisition power allows local Préfets to compel workers to return to work, on pain of a €10,000 fine or six months in prison. The rarely-used power can be invoked only when the country's national security or stability is threatened by strike action which undermines the infrastructure - in this case the fuel network. 

The strike, which is in its third week, had been called in response to a pay dispute, with workers calling for pay hikes to cover the cost of living increase. 

Two companies were affected - TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobile.  Labour unions representing a majority of Esso's overall staff agreed to a salary deal with management on Monday, but the CGT and FO unions, the largest at most refineries, voted to pursue the blockage.

No deal has been reached with Total workers.

The government's 'requisition' currently concerns only Esso workers, but it reserves the right to impose the same rule on striking Total workers.

French government spokesperson, Olivier Véran told RTL radio channel earlier on Tuesday that the blockades must be lifted "without delay" and threatened government intervention.

Advertisement

READ MORE: MAP: How to find petrol or diesel during France’s fuel shortages

"The strike has lasted too long and it has consequences," said Véran. "I am totally on the side of the French and of motorists. The government is calling for all blockades to be lifted without delay, and if not, the government will assume its responsibilities - that is to say lifting [the blockades]."

 

Similar sentiments were echoed by Clément Beaune, the Minister of Transport, who told RMC radio on Tuesday morning that "we will not let the blockade continue" and that if the situation is not resolved "we will take additional measures."

Véran had signalled that an agreement had been reached between workers at refineries operated by Esso-ExxonMobil, saying that "there is no longer any reason for there to be any blockages" at these centres.

Nevertheless, unions representing workers at TotalEnergies refineries had not reached any agreements as of Tuesday, and those at the French branch of Esso-ExxonMobil also renewed their strike call on Tuesday, rejecting a pay offer by management. 

Véran also said that he believes that it will take "a few days" to regain "normal functioning".

He added that once access to refineries and depots was free, it would take around two weeks for the fuel situation to be back to normal - in time for the autumn school holidays which begin on October 22nd.

Advertisement

As of Sunday, certain regions remained more affected by fuel shortages than others - over half of stations in the north of France (specifically in Hauts-de-France and Pas-de-Calais) were impacted, while in the Paris region the figure was closer to 44.9 percent, according to French Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher. 

Advertisement

In response to the shortages, many motorists have taken to social media to exchange tips. One post in a Facebook group Monday said that a local BP service station would be resupplied "at 2:30 pm". Another replied: "It's now 2:37 pm and they're out of diesel." Another user reacted: "What a mess."

The petrol crisis comes at a time of high energy prices and inflation that are sapping French households' purchasing power.

France has no shortage of fuel in the country, the issue lies in making deliveries from refineries to service stations, because of the blockades by striking workers who are seeking pay increases due to the cost of living crisis.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also