In an effort to ensure gasoline supply after weeks of strikes, the French government on Wednesday began ordering employees at an Exxon Mobil fuel station back to work, risking a larger dispute with trade unions in the process.
In spite of a salary agreement between management and other unions, the hardline CGT union is still on strike at the Exxon (XOM.N) Esso France business’ Gravenchon-Port Jerome depot, where the government said it was requisitioning workers.
After a FNME union official reported that some employees 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, the CGT called for support from workers in other sectors, and there were signs that it was happening.
‘In response to a partial strike by Port-Jerome employees in Normandy, the government begins requisitioning the personnel needed to staff the depot. The request will begin today,’ the ministry of energy stated.
The CGT declared that after receiving the demand notifications, it will contest them in court.
The government threatened to force employees at Esso France depots back to work on Tuesday and said similar actions were possible at TotalEnergies if wage negotiations failed. This comes after the government initially refrained from interfering in labour disputes pitting the CGT against oil majors TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and Exxon.
On Wednesday, the CGT reported that the strike at the French refineries of TotalEnergies had restarted at all locations.
According to FNME spokesman Viginie Neumayer, the union in the nuclear industry has delivered a message of sympathy to striking employees at refineries and fuel depots run by TotalEnergies and Exxon.
‘The threat of requisition, which is primarily an indication of government fever, has never been proven to be helpful at ending this conflict,’ said Neumayer.
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