Government threatens further requisitioning as strikes at TotalEnergies continue (updated)

North Atlantic Energies SA

13/10/2022 07:46

(Adds comments from government officials, TotalEnergies)
       PARIS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The French government on
Thursday said it was prepared to force employees to go back to
work at a TotalEnergies  TTEF.PA  storage site, as the CGT union
and the company remain in a gridlock over wages, meaning the
weeks-long strike weighing on the country's petrol supplies was
dragging on. 
        "If needed we will take measures to unblock available
supplies in the Dunkirk depot", said Energy Minister
Agnes-Pannier Runacher, adding: "But I hope things will still
evolve today between the CGT and Total." 
  
        
    First talks
     between the company and union leaders were held on
Wednesday, but they failed to end the stalemate and a union
representative on Thursday told Reuters the strikes affecting
four refineries and the storage site in Dunkirk were upheld. 
        TotalEnergies said in a statement on Thursday the
conditions to hold wage talks with all unions were not in place
as the various blockades continue.
  
        The French oil major also announced it would make a
one-off bonus payment to its workforce.  
  
        French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL radio
TotalEnergies had "the possibility and therefore the duty" to
raise wages, adding the company had "come late" in starting
talks with unions after making large profits.
  
    A representative of the union's branch at Esso France
 XOM.N  had said on Wednesday the walkouts which block two
refineries would also continue.
    Two weeks into the strikes which reduced France's petrol
output by over 60%, still one in three petrol stations is still
struggling with supplies.
 (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Benoit Van
Overstraeten)
 ((tassilo.hummel@thomsonreuters.com ; Twitter handle:
@tassilo_hummel;))