Fuel deliveries, refining disrupted at French refinery sites

Eric Sellini, a CGT union representative at TotalEnergies told Reuters that the strike at the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy was expected to run until Thursday and the one at the Donges refinery in western France until Friday. The Gonfreville refinery was completely blocked. "The objective is to renew the strike everywhere," CGT representative Benjamin Tange said.

Fuel deliveries and refining was disrupted at several French refinery and storage sites operated by TotalEnergies and Esso on Tuesday due to a strike against the government's planned pension reform.

The hardline CGT union said that shipments were impacted as well as refinery operations at both companies' sites, and that the group was "producing less fuel." The Gonfreville, Donges, Feyzin, La Mede and Carling sites were impacted by the strike, the representative said.

A CGT representative for Esso's Fos and Port Jerome sites said that there about 50% of employees on the first shift were on strike at Port Jerome, with 90% on strike at Fos, and that refining was impacted. TotalEnergies said there is no lack of fuel at the service stations, and that stocks are at a high level, adding that teams are mobilised to meet demand.

The TotalEnergies spokesperson also said that out of the 296 operators on its sites, 64% were on strike on Tuesday morning. Eric Sellini, a CGT union representative at TotalEnergies told Reuters that the strike at the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy was expected to run until Thursday and the one at the Donges refinery in western France until Friday. The Gonfreville refinery was completely blocked.

"The objective is to renew the strike everywhere," CGT representative Benjamin Tange said. The spokeperson for the Esso refineries also said that strikes will be repeatable . Labour unions have vowed to bring France to a standstill on Tuesday, as they step up their fight against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to make the French work two years more, to 64, before they can retire with a pension.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)