French fuel strikes continue as Macron predicts return to normal 'in coming week'

Strike action in French oil refineries continued on Thursday morning, after French President Emmanuel Macron told France 2 TV viewers on Wednesday night that fuel stations could return to normal levels of supply "in the coming week."

"We can't allow the country to be blocked because a few people always want to take things further even when a deal has been reached" between bosses and some of the unions, said the president.

🛢 Blocages dans les raffineries

▶ @EmmanuelMacron appelle à « la responsabilité des dirigeants de ces entreprises et leurs salariés et les syndicats qui les représentent » #Levenement pic.twitter.com/VIoihuVYod

— L'Événement (@LevenementFTV) October 12, 2022

Government sources clarified the Macron's timeline to France Televisions, saying that the return to normal could be "in seven to ten days."

The president's statements were made during an interview on the television show "L'Evénement" where he discussed the ongoing strikes and blockades at refineries, which are responsible for fuel shortages at service stations across France.

READ MORE: MAP: How to find petrol or diesel during France’s fuel shortages

The industrial action to demand pay hikes has paralysed six out of the seven fuel refineries in France, leading to shortages of petrol and diesel exacerbated by panic-buying from drivers.

In our Talking France podcast you can listen to our journalists and politics expert John Lichfield discuss the fuel blockades and what's likely to happen next. Download here.

 

Nevertheless - the situation remained at a standstill on Thursday morning as striking refinery workers at TotalEnergies factories refused the management's proposal to unblock deliveries as a precondition for beginning wage negotiations.

"It is a massive, categorical refusal. Employees do not want this prerequisite to negotiate," Thierry Defresne, secretary of the CGT union for TotalEnergies Europe told La Depeche.

As of Wednesday evening, 30 percent of fuel stations in France were short on at least one type fuel, according to the Ministry of Energy. The north of France - in the Hauts-de-France area - and the Paris region remained the most affected parts of the country.

In response to the ongoing industrial action, the French government began plans to requisition workers, specifically those with ExxonMobil.

The hard-left CGT union that is leading the stoppages had said Tuesday that any requisitioning would be "not necessary and illegal", raising the spectre of legal challenges.

The decision has also been slammed by union leaders, like the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, who called it a "scandalous decision."

The first requisitions were launched at the ExxonMobil Port-Jérôme/Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon refinery (located in Seine-Maritime) - two employees were requisitioned on Wednesday evening, and two others on Thursday to allow the shipment of fuel by pipeline to the Paris region.

The next requisition was set to concern the Flandes depot of TotalEnergies, near Dunkirk. 

Despite requisitions, the French government still hopes to see wage negotiations. The Finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, told radio channel RTL on Thursday morning that he wants to see TotalEnergies "reach a wage agreement." 

"Total a la capacité de faire des augmentations de salaire, Total doit augmenter ses salaires", @BrunoLeMaire dans #RTLMatin avec @amandine_begot pic.twitter.com/aAitmFI5zo

— RTL France (@RTLFrance) October 13, 2022

"All companies that can, must increase wages. It is obvious that Total has the capacity to pay and increase salaries."

The finance minister went on to say that the company has made "significant profits" and has the ability and "therefore the duty to increase the wages of all their employees in proportions that they will negotiate with the trade unions."