France starts forced return to work at fuel depot in showdown with union (updated)

North Atlantic Energies SA

12/10/2022 09:38

(Adds details on requisition)
    By Forrest Crellin and Dominique Vidalon
       PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The French government on
Wednesday started ordering staff at an Exxon Mobil fuel depot
back to work, striving to secure petrol supplies following
weeks-long strikes but risking a wider conflict with trade
unions.   
    The government said it was requisitioning staff at the
Gravenchon-Port Jerome depot run by Exxon's  XOM.N  Esso France
business, where the hardline CGT union remains on strike despite
an agreement between management and other unions over pay.  
    The CGT has called for support from workers in other sectors
and there were signs of that happening after a representative of
the FNME union said some staff at EDF's  EDF.PA  nuclear plants
had resumed a strike over wages, delaying maintenance work on at
least five reactors, including the Bugey facility. 
    "In view of a strike by part of the Port-Jerome staff, in
Normandy, the government launches the requisition of staff
necessary to operate the depot. The requisition is starting
today," the energy ministry said.
    The CGT said it would challenge the requisition
notifications in court once it had received them.
    After shying away at first from interfering in labour
disputes pitting the CGT against oil majors TotalEnergies
 TTEF.PA  and Exxon, the government on Tuesday threatened to
force staff at Esso France depots back to work and said similar
measures were possible at TotalEnergies if wage talks failed. 
    The strike at TotalEnergies' French refineries resumed
across all sites on Wednesday, the CGT said.
    In the nuclear sector, FNME representative Viginie Neumayer
told Reuters the union had sent a message of support to striking
workers at refineries and petrol depots owned by TotalEnergies
and Exxon.
    "The threat of requisition which is above all a sign of
government feverishness has never demonstrated its effectiveness
in getting out of this conflict," Neumayer said.
 (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Forrest Crellin, Tassilo
Hummel and Benoit Van Overstaeten; Editing by Benoit Van
Overstraeten and Mark Potter)
 ((dominique.vidalon@thomsonreuters.com; +33149495432; Reuters
Messaging: dominique.vidalon.reuters.com@reuters.net))