Refineries, oil depots and blocked tolls, opponents of pension reform remain mobilized.
Unions maintain blockades and actions “punch” Thursday, March 16, as the text on pension reform ends its legislative journey in the Senate and then the Assembly. Operation “dead port”, shutdown refineries and roadblocks. Update on the main actions with the France Bleu network.
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Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
One of the main logistics platforms in the Loire, the Log’Loire depot in Sury-le-Comtal, was completely blocked on Thursday morning, reports France Bleu Saint-Etienne Loire. According to the CGT, 200 opponents of the pension reform prevented trucks from entering and leaving. “On a day like today, we should immobilize a hundred heavy goods vehicles”explains Bruno Rejony, the CGT representative of the platform.
Brittany
The port of Brest (Finistère) has been blocked since 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning by dockers in both directions, reports France Bleu Breizh Izel. The operation was to last until early afternoon, according to the demonstrators. Pallet barriers have also been installed on certain roads in the department, in particular near Quimper, where the CGT announced on Wednesday “actions, from 6 a.m.” before a demonstration at 2 p.m. in front of the Finistère prefecture.
Blockages were also underway in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), Thursday morning, causing significant slowdowns, indicates France Bleu Armorique. Garbage fires took place on the ring road and traffic had to be interrupted, according to Bison Futé. Rennes Métropole bus traffic is also disrupted. Some departures are canceled or delayed, according to the Star’s Twitter account.
Centre-Loire Valley
Near Orléans (Loiret), the oil depot of Saint-Jean-de-Braye was blocked by around sixty employees and members of the inter-union since Thursday 5:00 a.m., reports France Bleu Orléans. The blockage could be lifted in the morning, according to a trade unionist present on the spot. The members of the inter-union met at 5:30 p.m. Place de la République in Orléans for a new mobilization against the government bill.
Normandy
Operation “dead port”, this Thursday in Le Havre and Rouen (Seine-Maritime), no boat docks in the two major ports in Normandy. Access to the docks was blocked by port and dockworkers at the call of the CGT Ports and docks, noted a journalist from France Bleu Normandie present at the port of Le Havre, Thursday morning. Brittany Ferries had to cancel its trip to Portsmouth (England) departing from Le Havre. On Twitter, the company apologizes, its telephone lines are stormed because of the strike movement on the French ports.
Pays de la Loire
“Not a drop of fuel goes in or out” from the Donges oil depot (Loire-Atlantique), assured Marin Guillotin (Force Ouvrière), Thursday morning on France Bleu Loire Océan. He indicated that the SFDM fuel depot and the TotalÉnergies refinery in Donges were paralyzed. As of Wednesday evening, the CGT and FO had blocked the port of Saint-Nazaire, near the Donges refinery, preventing two ships from docking, a grain tanker and a 28,000-ton oil tanker which was to refuel the Vern- sur-Seiche (Ille-et-Vilaine). Other actions on the port were planned during the day.
In Le Mans (Sarthe), the entrances and exits of the A 11 motorway were temporarily closed and diversions put in place Thursday morning, reports France Bleu Maine, due to a dam on a nearby roundabout, the roundabout point of the Ocean. No trucks were passing, which caused heavy traffic jams on the expressway and the freeway interchange.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
In Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), dockers organize a new day “dead port”, reports France Bleu Provence. Since Tuesday morning, hundreds of passengers wanting to go by boat to Algeria have been stranded in Marseille. Gate C of the port was blocked by port staff, forcing the company Corsica Linea to cancel its ferry.
Protesters also set up at 7:30 a.m. this Thursday at the Lançon-Provence tollbooth, south of Salon-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône) on the A7, for an operation “free toll” which lasted an hour. At the call of the Force Ouvrière union, the demonstrators let the cars pass for free before being dislodged around 8:30 a.m. by the police, reports France Bleu Provence.