Refineries, oil depots and blocked tolls, opponents of pension reform remain mobilized this Thursday. The government triggered Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the text.
The unions maintain the blockages and the actions “punch” Thursday, March 16, when the government decided to trigger article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the pension reform, without a vote of the National Assembly. Operation “dead port”, refineries shut down and roadblocks… Update on the main actions of this Thursday, 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, is completely blocked this Thursday, reports France Bleu Saint-Etienne Loire. According to the CGT, 200 opponents of the pension reform prevent 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.
In Valence, demonstrators invaded the tracks of Valence-Ville station around 9 a.m. this Thursday morning, reports France Bleu Drôme Ardèche. They are mainly CGT railway workers and FSU teachers. Train traffic was therefore stopped by the SNCF and the electricity was cut “for safety, because flags were very close to the catenaries”. Around 10:15 a.m., the SNCF said that train traffic had resumed with delay. A little before 3 p.m., road traffic was also disrupted on the avenue de Romans in Valence, because of demonstrators in front of the premises of the Renaissance deputy Mireille Clapot.
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.
In Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), several roads and roundabouts were blocked this Thursday morning, causing up to 40 kilometers of traffic jams on the entire road network, reports France Bleu Armorique. Traffic had to be interrupted on the Rennes ring road, due to garbage fires, before partially resuming to allow officers to intervene to repair the road. Bus traffic was also disrupted. The inter-union of Rennes met this afternoon in front of the permanence of the deputy Renaissance Laurence Maillart-Méhaignerie, to express once again its opposition to this reform. Another rally is already scheduled for 6 p.m. in front of the prefecture, boulevard d’Armorique.
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.
Ile-de-France
In Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne), the garbage collectors who blocked the waste collection site of the Pizzorno company, this Thursday morning, were dislodged by the police, reports France Bleu Paris. The site manages the collection of waste from the 15th arrondissement of Paris and 24 municipalities in Val-de-Marne. “The police intervened and the dumpsters came out of the garage”, indicates the town hall of the 15th. Striking employees are still on site, determined to continue the strike. LFI deputies, including Mathilde Panot and Louis Boyard were present on site this Thursday morning. They denounce a violent intervention by the police. Blockages were also underway at the Ivry waste incineration center this Thursday morning.
Normandy
Operation “dead port” since this Thursday morning in Le Havre and Rouen. No boat docks in the two major ports in Normandy. Access to the quays is blocked by port and dockworkers, at the call of the CGT Ports and docks, notes a journalist from France Bleu Normandie present at the port of Le Havre. Brittany Ferries had to cancel its trip to Portsmouth (England) departing from Le Havre. On Twitter, the company apologizes, its telephone lines being stormed due to the strike movement in the French ports.
Another blocking point in Le Havre, since March 7, activists and trade unionists have been blocking access to the community technical center, the Cetco, where the garbage trucks in charge of garbage collection are parked. This Thursday, Le Havre Seine Métropole announces that it has contacted the State services to unblock the site, but “the agents did not however wish to return to work”, specifies the metropolis in a press release. A demonstrator was arrested and placed in police custody for “violence against persons holding public authority”, learned France Bleu Normandie from the prosecution. He was then released with “an obligation to complete a citizenship course”.
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.
The CGT13 is also mobilized in front of a police station in Marseille, where five activists were summoned this Thursday morning at dawn, including the secretary general CGT Énergie PACA Renaud Henry. They are heard about load shedding actions carried out last June. Communist senator Jérémy Bacchi protests at the microphone of France Bleu Provence: “We came to pick them up at their house, at 6 a.m., as if they were terrorists!”
New Aquitaine
The port of Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) has been blocked since Thursday morning, 6 a.m., reports France Bleu Pays Basque. Nearly 200 demonstrators from the CGT dockers, CGT Energie and Safran settled at the Rénéric roundabout in Anglet, which provides access to the port area. They have set up tents to stay in the long term but do not block traffic.
The large seaport of La Rochelle Pallice is also blocked, reports France Bleu La Rochelle. The La Rochelle dockers have been prohibiting the entry and exit of vehicles at the Jeumont roundabout since 4 a.m. this Thursday morning. They plan to carry out their action until at least midnight this Thursday evening.