Strikes in France’s TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil refineries fuel panics

Paris, France  | Xinhua | The strike continued in TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil refineries, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) said on Saturday, leading to fuel-related panics in the country.

According to the Ministry for Energy Transition, 20.7 percent of service stations were experiencing difficulties with at least one product on Saturday, compared to 19 percent on Friday.

The delegate of the CGT of ExxonMobile, Christopher Aubert, said that at least 70 percent of the company’s workers were on strike on Saturday.

For his part, union leader Pedro Afonso said that all workers on strike were in the TotalEnergies refinery located in Feyzin near the city of Lyon on Saturday.

The strikers’ actions led to a decrease in fuel deliveries, provoking fear among the French of fuel shortages as several Total service stations have been closed in the country.

Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher told the French media on Saturday that “the measures we have taken, including authorizing heavy goods vehicles refueling the stations to circulate the weekends, have made it possible to stabilize the situation at a national level.”

On Friday, several French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, called for dialogue and responsibility between TotalEnergies strikers and the company.

The strike started on Sept. 27, forcing the company to temporarily shut down the country’s largest refinery in the Normandy region on Sept. 28. ■