The strike at Total Energies’ French oil refineries, which has led to major fuel shortages in France, among other things, now seems to be on its way back. So far, only two locations are on strike.
A week ago, the French fuel strike also seemed to end, but it turned out not to go so smoothly. However, Reuters and various French media are now reporting that work has resumed at two Total locations. It concerns a refinery in La Mede near Marseille and a storage location on the other side of the country, near Dunkirk. There are still strikes in two places, but that is a lot less than the five locations that had stopped working at the height of the strike. At the moment, only 17 percent of gas stations appear to be experiencing shortages, compared to 30 percent last weekend, Reuters said.
The strike at Total refineries and other sites began on September 27. Total staff is fighting for higher salaries to compensate for high inflation. Total is already promising its staff an increase of 7 percent, but the union did not think that was enough. In any case, the actions did not miss their effect on the country: prolonged fuel shortages have been causing long queues at French gas stations for weeks, while many motorists have even ended up without fuel at the roadside. We also reportedly reaped the bitter benefits outside France, because the high fuel prices are now partly attributed to the strikes in France.
The campaigner’s goal does not seem to have been achieved yet, but in many places the enthusiasm for the strike has therefore disappeared. At the two locations that are still closed, this could take a while: according to 20Minutes.fr, the union states that work there will only be resumed when ‘something concrete’ is on the table. It concerns a refinery in Feyzin near Lyon and a second one in Gonfreville, near Le Havre.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl