With a fuel strike that left gas stations nearly empty, food distribution and the work of French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne hit announced the return to work of essential personnel in Esso-Exxmobil warehouses, which redirected the measurement of force. This was announced at the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.

The premier held an emergency meeting for the strike of the oil refinery, which is causing fuel shortages in the country. He urged TotalEnergies management and unions to start wage negotiations and threatened to do the same “unblock the situation” if they have not reached an agreement with the CGT.

Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne announced on Tuesday the return to work of personnel essential to the unblocking of the Esso-ExxonMobil group’s fuel depots. There, on Monday, two trade unions had struck a wage agreement, most at group level but not at their refineries.

“Social dialogue means moving forward once the majority has emerged. These are not minimal agreements. Management announcements are significant. Therefore, I asked the prefects to initiate, as permitted by law, the procedure for requisitioning essential personnel for the functioning of the deposits of this company ”, said Borne during the parliamentary question in the Assembly.

Esso Mobil has three depots in France, in Toulouse, Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime). The latter two are close to the company’s two French refineries, which are on strike.

Commenting on the situation in the other oil group hit by the strike movements, TotalEnergies, the head of the government urged management and unions to start salary negotiationsthreatening to do the same to “unblock the situation”.

“In Total, the reformist unions have called for the opening of negotiations. Management responded positively. I hope that the other representative unions will take advantage of this outstretched hand, because social dialogue is always more fruitful than the conflict ”, said the prime minister. Terminal. “Otherwise, the government will act, once again, to unblock the situation,” he added.

The President of the Government replied to a question from the deputy LR Éric Ciotti, which he had taken into consideration “that France is no longer governed”denouncing a “contempt” for the executive.

The government, which has been targeted by critics as a third of gas stations are affected by the fuel shortage, he asked an “immediate” release. from fuel depots, threatening to “intervene”. But the strikers renewed the movement, at both TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil.

The CGT version

“The current situation of TotalEnergies is abnormal. But it is due to the chemical branch of management, which rejects any negotiations on general wage increases. Everyone knows that oil companies have made billions of euros in profits and refuse to redistribute employees in the form of general increases, “said CGT General Secretary Philippe Martínez in The Parisians.

“Esso-ExxonMobil, like TotalEnergies, refuses to talk about general wage increases. Esso-ExxonMobil offers a bonus, but rejects a general salary increase. And TotalEnergies proposes to anticipate a bit of a negotiation, which was scheduled for November, while saying that we will not talk about a general increase in wages because they believe that the bill is there ”, explained the union leader.

This is not what TotalEnergies management says. He says he’s ready to index salaries for inflation and share outstanding results with employees. The only prerequisite it is the end of the strike before the start of the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the daily life of the French is very complicated by the strike. Many who live in the suburbs, away from trains and who use their cars, cannot come to work.

PB