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“I left the car in the garage as much as possible”, but now you have to fill up with fuel: like Mickael Grumen, many vacationers were queuing on Friday morning in front of service stations, still affected on the eve of the holidays by shortages related to …
“I left the car in the garage as much as possible”, but now you have to fill up with fuel: like Mickael Grumen, many vacationers were in line on Friday morning before the service stations, still affected on the eve of the holidays by the shortages associated with. strike at TotalEnergie’s oil sites.
At the Boulevard Morizet station in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris and at the gates of the A13 motorway leading to Normandy, a line of vehicles lay in the dark night, engines off and warning lights on.
“I left the car in the garage as much as possible in the last few days, I worked in telecommunications”, explains AFP Mickael Grumen, 43, who expects to collect the petrol at 2040 euros per liter. “I was really waiting for the last moment, to be in red to fill up, because I plan to go on vacation to Deauville.”
The services are facing significant supply difficulties due to the strike movement launched on September 27 in the refineries and warehouses of the oil group TotalEnergies, where employees are demanding wage increases in the face of inflation and profits. giants collected by the company.
If the strikers at the Donges refinery (Loire-Atlantique), the “Flandres” depot in Mardyck, near Dunkirk (North) and the La Mède biorefinery (Bouches-du-Rhône) decided on Wednesday to return to work after an agreement with management, two oil centers renewed the strike on Thursday.
In Gonfreville, Normandy, “the strike is renewed until October 27,” the day TotalEnergies is due to announce its third-quarter results, “if management does not contact us first,” announced CGT elected Ludovic Desplanches. The movement was also renewed at the fuel depot in Feyzin (Rhône).
“Pampered” highways.
After a shortage peak last week, gasoline and diesel shortages eased this week while remaining unprecedented in recent history. According to Francis Pousse, national president of Mobilians Fuel and New Energy Distributors, about 17% of service stations were still out of fuel on Friday.
“It is clearly improving compared to the beginning of the week,” he argued on Radio Classic, estimating that a return to normality should occur within “five to seven days.”
But pressure on the government is mounting as schools close on Friday night for a two-week holiday.
“I know that the situation is still difficult for many of our compatriots, but the moment is there,” underlined Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday, “I want to call once again on the striking workers to return to work.”
Vinci Autoroutes Group wanted to reassure would-be holidaymakers by announcing on Wednesday that at least 90% of service stations on its network were able to provide fuel.
“Continuity of service is ensured to the extent of 82% for unleaded gasoline, and 88% for diesel, in the 97 service areas of the APRR and AREA highways”, specify the subsidiaries of the Eiffage group.
Mr Pousse also wanted to reassure holidaymakers, saying “the oil companies have a service continuity commitment with the highway companies, so they have an obligation to provide fuel”.
“The highway network is particularly careful about the supply of gasoline,” he said, “which is logical, it is complicated to leave broken down cars on the highway.”
5% increase
In a rush to speed up deliveries to stations, the government once again asked employees to work in the Feyzin site on Thursday, which should help the entire Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
The CGT said it had proposed on Wednesday, without success, a “protocol to end the conflict” for the group’s management, specifically providing for “local negotiations on the specific problems raised by the strikers”.
But TotalEnergies argued there was no need to reopen negotiations, a deal that was concluded on Friday with the group’s two majority unions, CFE-CGC and CFDT. A text that KGT has not signed.
The agreement foresees a general increase of 5% of salaries, accompanied by individual increases and an extraordinary bonus from 3,000 to 6,000 euros. CGT demanded a 10% wage increase.
A move had also taken place within Esso-ExxonMobil, before it was dropped last week following the conclusion of a pay deal.
bur-cdu/uh/abl
A tanker truck leaves TotalEnergie’s Flanders depot on October 13, 2022 in Mardyck, north
• DENNIS CHARLET
Map showing the percentage of service stations in total lack of supply by department in France on October 20, 2022 at 1:15 p.m.
• Yann SCHREIBER
The curve representing the daily percentage of gas stations with a shortage of gasoline
and diesel between September 19 and October 19
• Anibal MAIZ CACERES
A Totalenergies service station was closed due to a lack of fuel supply, October 17, 2022, in Paris
• Geoffroy Van der Hasselt
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