Fears French fuel crisis could spread amid plans to order strikers to work

theguardian.com:

The French government is to order workers back to their jobs at a major fuel refinery, as petrol shortages continue amid a long-running nationwide strike for better salaries and a share of oil firm’s huge profits.

The government confirmed that the requisition of essential fuel workers at the blockaded Port Jérôme refinery at Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, in Normandy, would begin on Wednesday. But the controversial move could risk stoppages spreading to other sectors in support of the fuel strikers.

The government is facing a deepening crisis after weeks of stoppages led by the leftwing CGT trade union, which is seeking large pay rises for workers at two oil firms, the French TotalEnergies and the US ExxonMobil. Strikers want better pay amid the cost-of-living crisis and a share of companies’ high profits.

The strikes have paralysed six of France’s seven fuel refineries, leading to nation-wide shortages exacerbated by panic-buying from motorists.

At TotalEnergies, the CGT trade union is seeking an immediate 10% pay rise after a surge in energy prices led to huge profits that allowed the company to pay an estimated €8bn in dividends and an additional special dividend to investors. Like other big oil companies, TotalEnergies’ profits have soared as energy prices increased during the war in Ukraine.

ExxonMobil has held pay talks with staff from two big trade unions, but the CGT refinery workers do not agree.

Strikes continued on Wednesday at two refineries owned by ExxonMobil and four TotalEnergies sites.

The government process to requisition workers at the Esso-ExxonMobil Normandy refinery of Port Jérôme would depend on a special decree being signed by the local prefect’s office.

The state has the power to requisition refineries and