After three weeks of blockages, the mobilization of the French strikers of TotalEnergies began to weaken with the lifting of the movement in several refineries on Wednesday, without removing the uncertainty on the supply of fuel at the approach of the school holidays.
The strike was suspended at the Donges refinery in the west of the country, as well as at two other oil sites in the north and the Bouches-du-Rhône, according to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT).
But the movement was renewed in two other sites of the group, in Normandy and in the Rhône.
” They [les grévistes de ces deux sites] don’t give up. If they manage to do something, it will give a great signal throughout France, ”launched actress Corinne Masiero, from the north of France, who came to support the strikers, performing with fellow actors a skit castigating capitalism and multinational corporations.
“We hope that the management will be attentive to the demands of the strikers in order to be able to get out of the conflict,” declared Benjamin Tange, of the CGT.
This union is at the origin of this strike movement, initiated on September 27, which demands wage increases against a backdrop of high inflation and superprofits made by TotalEnergies, with the surge in prices linked in particular to the war in Ukraine.
It is hoped that the management will be attentive to the demands of the strikers in order to be able to end the conflict.
The CGT announced on Wednesday morning that it had proposed an “end-of-conflict exit protocol” to the management of TotalEnergies. A proposal which, according to the union, was rejected by management, which TotalEnergies did not confirm.
A movement also took place at Esso-ExxoMobil, before being lifted last week after the conclusion of a wage agreement.
Pressure on the government
Meanwhile, the renewal of the movement in certain refineries and certain fuel depots of the group casts new uncertainties on the absorption of gasoline shortages, a few days before the All Saints holidays.
In total, 20.3% of service stations, compared to almost a third last weekend, were still short of gasoline or diesel on Wednesday, and there were more tense situations in certain regions, according to the ministry. of the energy transition.
To speed up the pace, the government has reopened the floodgates of blocked sites with the help of requisitions from employees, the last one again targeting the TotalEnergies site located in Feyzin on Wednesday.
“The situation continues to improve markedly,” said Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
“I know that the situation is still difficult for many of our compatriots, but the momentum is there, and I want to once again call on the striking employees to return to work,” she added.