“We must generalize the strikes.” accusing the government of “set fire to the powder” by ordering requisitions to TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil, the leader of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, proposed Thursday, October 13, on BFMTV, “a new call for strikes and demonstrations in all companies, public and private”, “from next week”. A meeting is scheduled for the day to act on the outlines, he said.
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At the same time, the CGT energy federation called for the wage movement to be extended to all companies in the sector. A mobilization is already underway in Engie gas storage, she assured, promising a national interprofessional movement “Tuesday, October 18”. Franceinfo lists the main sectors now affected by these calls and the situation in each of them.
In the oil industry
The strike for wages at Esso-ExxonMobil was renewed on Thursday morning at the group’s two French refineries, in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine (Seine-Maritime) , according to the CGT. The movement, initiated by FO and the CGT to obtain “7.5% minimum general increase”, has lasted there since September 21, despite the signing of a salary agreement by the CFDT and the CFE-CGC. In Port-Jérôme, the requisitions decided by the prefecture cooled certain strikers but were not enough, at this stage, to extinguish the movement. In Fos-sur-Mer, the strike was lifted Thursday afternoon.
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On the side of TotalEnergies, where the movement began on September 27, “the strike is renewed at the Normandy refinery, at the Donges refinery, at the Feyzin refinery, at the Flandres depot and at the Mède refinery”, announced the CGT, Thursday morning. The Grandpuits loading base (Seine-et-Marne) is on the other hand “opened”because she is no longer “blocked by militants on the spot”. On Wednesday, FO, the fourth union among TotalEnergies refining employees, joined the movement.
In nuclear power plants
For several weeks, at the call of inter-unions of EDF, nuclear power plants have been experiencing strikes for a revaluation of wages. The sites of Tricastin (Drôme), Cruas (Ardèche), Bugey (Ain) and Cattenom (Moselle) are particularly affected, which in some places delays the tests prior to their return to the network after maintenance or works.
Since Thursday, the Gravelines power station (North), the most powerful in Western Europe, has joined the movement, under the impetus of FO and the CGT. The strikers threaten to delay connection operations, with a risk of “cuts” in some companies. They are demanding a 5% increase in their gross salary, while a branch agreement providing for a 3.6% increase is subject to signature until Monday.
In public transports
The CGT RATP, for its part, calls for a day of strike and mobilization in Ile-de-France on Tuesday, Vincent Gautheron, secretary general of the majority union, told franceinfo. It thus confirms a information from RTL.“We are mobilizing for wage increases, on the issue of pension reform and to defend the right to strike, called into question by government decisions” requisitions of personnel in refineries, he specifies.
At the SNCF, employees of the Landy technicentre, in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), voted for a renewable strike from Monday, according to the unionist Sud-Rail Paris Nord Anasse Kazib. “The railway workers are ready to strike with the refiners”he wrote, Thursday, on Twitter.
For its part, the CGT-Cheminots, the first representative union at the SNCF, calls for a day of strike on Tuesday, to demand wage increases and protest against requisitions in the energy sector. “We are asking the unions to organize general site meetings on October 18 and we are not ruling out any scenario for the conduct of the action”said Thursday to AFP the secretary general of the CGT-Cheminots, Laurent Brun.
In shops and services
The Commerce and Services Federation of the CGT called on Thursday for an immediate strike, scheduled until Tuesday, to demand “real salary increases”. This concerns the sectors of early childhood and home help, as well as security guards, sales staff, cashiers, waiters and logistics employees. So many professions where “most conventional salary scales are below the minimum wage”according to the union.
The social movement in refineries and fuel depots is not “only a corporatist struggle for wealthy employees”defends the cégétiste federation. “All professional sectors are affected by the historic level of inflation that we have been experiencing for months.”
In the public service
The first public service union, the UFSE-CGT, also called for a strike on Tuesday. He wishes “to build with the staff the widest possible participation in the interprofessional day of strike and demonstration (…) for the defense of the right to strike, the increase in wages and our rights to retirement”. Notices have been filed for the State civil service, the territorial civil service and the hospital civil service.
In a separate statement, the Public Services Federation called for the strike “to support the actions decided by the strikers in the refineries, to reaffirm our wage demands (10% increase in the index point immediately), our rejection of the pension reform wanted by Macron and our attachment to the right to strike and trade union freedoms”.