IN FRANCE WITH 103 000 PEOPLE MARCHED AGAINST INFLATION UNDER A GENERAL STRIKE

USPA NEWS - It has already been three weeks, on September 27, 2022, that TOTAL Energie employees have been on strike in France, creating a big shortage in the fuel station and provoking the anger of motorists who are suffering from the shortages. The strikers are demanding a 10% wage increase, through their CGT union. An agreement on wage increases providing for a 7% wage increase was already reached at the end of the week between the management of Total and two majority unions, the CFDT and the CFE-CGC, but does not seem sufficient for the strikers. They have a hundred (between 90 net 150 employees of the refineries of Total Energies, according to different sources to block all of France, by their strike which has been installed and renewed from week to week, since September 17, 2022. Their demands for salary increases had already been expressed last July, without being able to dialogue with the management of the Total gourde…. In early September, a new attempt to request negotiation having failed, this provoked the anger and the wreath of the employees refineries in the face of inflation, arguing that All prices in all sectors have increased except the alaires in France.

On September 27, the first negotiations had been started by the CGT union, and failed, which launched the strike and blocked the refineries and fuel depots of TotalEnergies in France. Yesterday, the CGT the most influential and powerful union in France, announced yesterday Saturday According to the government, 30% of fuel stations are affected by the lack of supply. Tuesday and Wednesday in the refineries of Normandy and Donges, the strike was renewed in the five sites of TotalEnergies, at the CGT this Saturday. The strike had already been extended until Tuesday and Wednesday in the refineries of Normandy and Donges while "the movement was renewed in the three establishments" of the Mède (Bouches-du-Rhône), Feyzin ( Rhône) and Flanders (North), added Eric Sellini without further details. As a result, the group's largest refinery, based in Normandy, that of Feyzin (Rhône), the "bio-refinery" of La Mède (Bouches-du-Rhône) and the Flandres fuel depot near Dunkirk (Nord) are "still completely at a standstill", he said. "If we start negotiations, it will be on the basis of our demands: we are asking for a 10% increase in wages", and that this be "applied to January 1 and retroactive to the year 2022", he said. he further clarified. The two sites of the American Esso-ExxonMobil in Normandy and Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) are "still at a total stop on Sunday", also indicated the elected CGT Christophe Aubert, who assures that "nothing comes out of the refineries" on Sunday. “The strike movement has been renewed at both sites and it will be probable. Source: AFP, Le Point

PM ELISABETH BORNE ASK TOTAL ENERGIE STRIKERS TO RETURN TO WORK PM Elisabeth declared, this evening in prime time, on the Prime Time televised Journal, on the French broadcast TV channel Tf1, at 8pm. announced this Sunday evening that the discount of 30 cents per liter of fuel at the pump would be extended until mid-November. The Prime Minister called on the striking employees of the TotalEnergies refineries to "get back to work". While the strike in the TotalEnergies refineries continues this Sunday, the government has deemed "unacceptable" the continuation of the blockage "even though majority agreements have been found to increase wages". On the other hand, the strike was lifted successively Thursday and Friday in the only two refineries of the Esso-ExxonMobil group in France, in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) then in Gravenchon, in Normandy, after the conclusion of a pay deal on Tuesday. But it will take "two to three weeks" to return to a "normal operating situation" at the level of the production of the refinery, completely blocked during the movement, warned the group. Although the government has promised a "return to normal for motorists expected in the coming week", according to the PM Borne office, Friday evening, the situation remains blocked, with 30% of gas stations out of stock. of fuel stock, thus causing endless queues of annoyed, angry motorists desperate to fill up their fuel tanks to drive to their places of work, particularly in rural areas, where cars are needed. On the other hand, the opposition accuses the government of having mismanaged this crisis and of being too optimistic…To be continued.