After calling for a statewide transport strike on Tuesday, unions in France experienced significant disruptions as they continue to be at odds with the government over oil depot walkouts that have caused fuel shortages.
Early on Tuesday, the impacts were clearly evident at the Paris hub Gare de Lyon, where crowded suburban trains were dumping waves of passengers onto the platforms every 15 to 20 minutes.
Yera Diallo, a commuter, stated, “I have a two or three hour travel today, rather than an hour and a half regularly,” adding, “I have no idea how it’s going to go this evening.”
Workers at numerous oil refineries and depots run by energy company TotalEnergies opted to continue walkouts, which sparked the broader strike.
Fuel distribution has been severely hampered by their industrial action throughout the nation, but especially in northern and central France and the Paris region.
The nearly three-week-old fuel strike has forced drivers to rush to fill up as it has a ripple effect on all facets of the French economy and cripples supply at about 30% of the country’s service stations.
Unions were outraged by the government’s use of requisitioning powers to compel some strikers back to work at open gasoline depots, but the legality of the action has so far been upheld.
After a meeting with ministers on Monday, Macron said, “We will continue to do the utmost,” adding that he wanted the problem “to be handled as swiftly as possible.”
The reopening of the refineries and depots will need the deployment of requisitioning powers, according to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.
Le Maire informed the BFMTV broadcaster that “the time for bargaining is ended.” In reference to the accord reached last week between TotalEnergies and two majority unions, which the hard-left CGT union rejects, he continued, “There was a negotiation, there was an agreement.”
Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT, urged on Monday that the government “meet around a table” with the unions to talk about raising the minimum wage in France.
Requisitioning is never the appropriate answer, according to Frederic Souillot, general secretary of the FO union, which is also participating in the day of strike action. This is the unions’ biggest provocation to Macron since he was elected to a second term in office in May.
The communist CGT and FO demanded a statewide walkout on Tuesday in support of increased pay and in opposition to the government’s plans to seize oil installations, which might have a disastrous impact on public transportation in particular.
Requisitioning is never the appropriate answer, according to Frederic Souillot, general secretary of the FO union, which is also participating in the day of strike action. This is the unions’ biggest provocation to Macron since he was elected to a second term in office in May.
The communist CGT and FO demanded a statewide walkout on Tuesday in support of increased pay and in opposition to the government’s plans to seize oil installations, which might have a disastrous impact on public transportation in particular.
