Fuel supplies in France are experiencing a new disruption, after oil workers went on strike today, Thursday 26 January; Protesting the country’s pension reform.
The strike continues for 48 hours at oil refineries in France, at the invitation of the oil branch of the General Confederation of Labor, in preparation for the second day of the demonstration scheduled for January 31.
Although the risk of fuel shortages in France is much further than it was last October, refiners were asked to strike again on January 26-27, in the context of social protest against pension reform.
The disputed legislation – which will be presented to parliament on Monday (30th of this month) for discussion – includes clauses that would cancel workers’ retirement rights, especially in the electricity generation sector, according to information monitored by the specialized energy platform.
Other contested changes include extending the retirement age from 62 to 64, and an obligation for workers to contribute more to the system during their working lives if they wish to qualify for a full pension.
France’s fuel supply
In Total Energy, the General Confederation of Labor reported – this morning – that 100% of the strikers had been mobilized at the Flanders depot since Wednesday evening, 80% at the Normandy refinery, 60% at the Lamed biofuel refinery, 50% at the Dong refinery, and 30% at the Granbuild site.
The giant company said that the strike stopped fuel shipments in France from many production sites, according to information monitored by the specialized energy platform, quoting Reuters.
She explained that shipments were stopped from the “La Midi”, “Dong”, “Normandy” and “Dunkirk” refineries, while their refineries in Vizin were not affected. But she added that she continued to make sure the fuel stations were supplied.
A representative of the General Confederation of Labor in Total Energy said that participation in the strike through the French sites amounted to about 60%.
For its part, Total Energy confirmed – on Wednesday – that gas stations in France have sufficient stock to deal with any possible strikes announced by union workers on Thursday, in protest against the reform of the pension system in France.
The company said Total’s teams are fully prepared to deal with any higher-than-usual fuel demand in places surrounding the strike, according to Reuters.
Exxon Mobil strike
Figures for the locations of the Esso refineries, which are operated by ExxonMobil, were not immediately available.
“There is no disruption” to the refinery, like last fall, said the delegate of the General Confederation of Labor at the Esso refinery in Fos-sur-Mer, Lionel Arbiol, explaining that there is a “strike protocol signed with our management that no fuel will come out for 24 hours, starting from Five o’clock this morning until five o’clock tomorrow morning.
In fact, the movement is therefore closer to a partial disruption of the refinery, as “there is no exit for the truck, vehicles or fuel through the pipeline,” according to what was reported by French-speaking radio “RMC”.
Despite this 24-hour ban, the repercussions “at service stations are still moderate. We managed to get a few stations in partial shortage. Today, when the oil sector goes into a 24-hour strike, there will be an impact, but it is not It is the same as what happened in the fall of (2022)”, according to Lionel Arbiol.
However, Arbiol did not rule out an intensification of the protest movement after January 31: “We will decide – in the coming days – to increase the size of the strike, depending on the government’s response to the mobilization witnessed in recent days.”
The repercussions of the energy sector strike in France
As during the January 19 strike, fuel shipments were banned in France to depots, and the usual slogan was: “Nothing in, nothing out”.
Tankers are also planning local actions with port infrastructure staff, with whom joint events can be organized.
The General Confederation of Labor, ports and docks called for a 24-hour strike today, Thursday, according to information monitored by the specialized energy platform, quoting France Info radio.
Federal Secretary of the National Confederation of Mines and Energy of the General Confederation of Labor, Fabrice Coudor, warned that electricians and gas companies should not cause blackouts for citizens, but production cuts are expected starting Thursday.
And he said – in statements on Wednesday -: “We call for a 48-hour strike. There will certainly be production cuts, perhaps from tonight, and perhaps more tomorrow, especially in nuclear and hydroelectric power, without reaching stages that affect users.”
Kudor added that strikes were being considered to disrupt maintenance work at nuclear reactors, and that targeted cuts to the electricity supply could not be ruled out.
For its part, the French Electricity Company “EDF” said that about 100 megawatts of electricity supplies were reduced through the strike targeting the Belleville 1 nuclear reactor; While no interruptions in the supply of hydroelectric power have been reported, according to Reuters.
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