strike renewed at Total, two depots requisitioned by the government

► Strike renewed at TotalEnergies

The strike in the French refineries of TotalEnergies was renewed on five sites, indicated Monday October 17 the CGT coordinator for the group, Éric Sellini, whose union did not sign the agreement on wages concluded between the direction and two majority unions.

“The strike is renewed in Normandy, in Donges, la Mède, Feyzin and in Flanders, despite the requisitions”, said Éric Sellini, adding that management « does not seem ready to return to the negotiating table ».

► Two depots requisitioned in Dunkirk (North) and Feyzin (Rhône)

The government requisitioned the fuel depot in Feyzin (Rhône) from 2 p.m., after having extended to 6 a.m. the requisition of the depot on the Flanders site, in Mardyck near Dunkirk, to supply the Hauts-de service stations. -France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, the Ministry of Energy Transition said on Monday.

« We do it for the French, we don’t do it against the strikers, they (requisitions) are absolutely necessary so that people can continue to go to work and provide for their basic needs,” declared Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Minister for Energy Transition, on Monday during a morning visit to the port of Gennevilliers in Île-de-France, intended to check the current refueling of tank trucks in a depot supplied by the Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine refinery in Normandy.

► Borne announces the extension of the discount of 30 cents « until mid-November »

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Monday the extension of the state rebate of 30 centimes at the pump « until mid-November », by assuring that Total would » also « extend his discount by 20 cents.

“We are going to extend this fuel discount until mid-November, and I had the CEO of Total this afternoon, who will also extend his rebate”, announced the Prime Minister to the 8 p.m. newspaper of TF1. The state-funded rebate was to drop to 10 cents from November 1.

► « The time for negotiation has passed » for Bruno Le Maire

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, raised his voice on Monday, saying that it was necessary “liberate fuel depots and refineries” blocked by strikers for almost three weeks.

“The time for negotiation has passed. There was a negotiation, there was an agreement, that means that the force must remain with the majority vote”, he added to the microphone of BFMTV, in reference to the agreement concluded between TotalEnergies and two majority unions, but which the CGT rejects.