Fuel shortages: Striking French oil workers end blockade at refinery
Oil refinery workers have ended their blockade at a depot in northern France, as fuel supplies at filling stations gradually return to normal after weeks of shortages.
Workers at the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy announced on Wednesday that they would end their strike action, the latest in a series of blockades of refineries that have been lifted.
Only one refinery - the Feyzin depot, near Lyon - is still the subject of strike action after other blockades ended in October.
The strike action by members of the hardline CGT union led to weeks of severe fuel shortages as filling stations across France ran dry.
The Gonfreville refinery supplies the greater Paris Île-de-France area, where drivers have been reporting shortages for several weeks.
Workers at six other refineries called off their strikes on October 20th, days before French schools broke up for the Toussaint holiday, after reaching a deal on pay with bosses at TotalEnergies.
A strike by workers at Esso fuel depots had ended earlier when a deal was reached on pay, but the government used a controversial strike-breaking measure known as 'requisition' to force key workers at some Total refineries back to work.
A government resupply plan prioritised filling stations on autoroutes for deliveries, which allowed most holidaymakers to travel as planned.
The CGT has called for an 'inter-professional' strike on Thursday, November 10th in protest at rising living costs. The previous two inter-professional strikes were poorly supported and resulted in little disruption, although workers on the Paris public transport network have indicated that they intend to support the November 10th strike.
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Workers at the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy announced on Wednesday that they would end their strike action, the latest in a series of blockades of refineries that have been lifted.
Only one refinery - the Feyzin depot, near Lyon - is still the subject of strike action after other blockades ended in October.
The strike action by members of the hardline CGT union led to weeks of severe fuel shortages as filling stations across France ran dry.
The Gonfreville refinery supplies the greater Paris Île-de-France area, where drivers have been reporting shortages for several weeks.
Workers at six other refineries called off their strikes on October 20th, days before French schools broke up for the Toussaint holiday, after reaching a deal on pay with bosses at TotalEnergies.
A strike by workers at Esso fuel depots had ended earlier when a deal was reached on pay, but the government used a controversial strike-breaking measure known as 'requisition' to force key workers at some Total refineries back to work.
A government resupply plan prioritised filling stations on autoroutes for deliveries, which allowed most holidaymakers to travel as planned.
The CGT has called for an 'inter-professional' strike on Thursday, November 10th in protest at rising living costs. The previous two inter-professional strikes were poorly supported and resulted in little disruption, although workers on the Paris public transport network have indicated that they intend to support the November 10th strike.
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