in Total refineries, up to 100% strikers
PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP
(illustrative image) January 19 strike: in factories Total up to 100% of strikers PHILIPPE HUGUEN AFP PHOTO (Photo by PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP)
PENSION REFORM – The strike movement against pension reform is joined by 70 to 100% of strikers at most of the TotalEnergies group’s refineries, said the group’s CGT on Thursday 19 January.
“Everywhere, deliveries have been suspended”Éric Sellini, union national coordinator for TotalEnergies, told AFP.
According to the first point of the CGT, there were 100% of strikers on the morning shift for the La Mède bio refinery, the Flandres fuel depot, near Dunkirk, and the Carling (Moselle) petrochemical plant.
The Donges (Loire-Atlantique) refinery has 95% of the strikers and Normandy 80%, while the team at the Feyzin refinery (Rhône) have more than 70% of the strikes, according to Eric Sellini.
“Nothing in or out” this facility, convinced the union members. However, he did not have figures for the Grandpuits site, in Seine-et-Marne.
“This is a movement well followed, providing momentum, strength and courage for the future”told AFP Benjamin Tange, CGT union official at the Flanders depot, before marching against pension reform in Dunkirk.
Daily staff mobilization, i.e. all support and administrative functions, “promise to be important too”according to Benjamin Tange.
On the Esso-ExxonMobil side, the Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) refinery had 100% of strikers between morning shifts, while none at the Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime) refinery, according to CGT.
Less than 2% gas stations run out of fuel
Additionally, less than 2% of French service stations were short on petrol or diesel on Thursday morning, a slight increase compared to the start of the week. This Thursday at 9:30 a.m., 1.95% of stations were short of at least one fuel, according to public data analyzed by AFP. Monday, they are 3.75% worried.
Geographically, the difficulties mainly affected the Paris area, with Hauts-de-Seine as the first department concerned (9.64% of stations affected) followed by Seine-Saint-Denis (8.89%).
Then came Mayenne (8.77%), Val-d’Oise, Nord, Yvelines, Val-de-Marne, Oise, Pas-de-Calais and Aisne (4.35%).
The government, through Transport Minister Clément Beaune, is advising motorists concerned about shortages caused by possible work stoppages at refineries not to “not taking precautions”.
“Don’t panic, stocks are full, gas stations are well supplied (…) Some people want to make a precaution purchase but these precaution purchases are dangerous, they can put the system under unnecessary stress”said TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné, at BFMTV.
“Stocks can absorb mostly” first 24 hour strike, but “some toll road stations may close”says Éric Sellini, CGT manager at TotalEnergies.
See also at HuffPost :
