Striking workers at French fuel refineries on Wednesday voted to continue their walkouts and blockades, defying the government which began putting some of them back to work to restart supplies.
Industrial action to demand wage increases has shut down six out of seven fuel refineries in France, leading to shortages of petrol and diesel fueled by hoarding by drivers.
After previously threatening to use emergency powers that would allow them to send essential workers back to work, the government announced on Wednesday it would use them as the strikes enter their third week.
Workers at a fuel depot at the Gravenchon-Port-Jerome refinery in north-west France, owned by US giant ExxonMobil, would be the first to be requisitioned, an Energy Ministry official told AFP.
“Given the continuation of the strike by some workers in Port-Jerome, Normandy, the government is initiating the requisitioning of key workers at the depot,” the official said.
Workers who refuse the subpoena risk fines or imprisonment.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing government invoked the same powers to break a refinery strike in 2010.
– growing frustration –
The hard-left CGT union, which is leading the work stoppages, said on Tuesday that any requisitions were “unnecessary and illegal,” raising the specter of legal challenges.
It called for the “choice of violence” to be called for, adding that this would prompt the union to “suspend its participation in meetings with government and business leaders during this period”.
So far, the government has been reluctant to foment the conflict, but has also been aware of the growing frustration and economic damage caused by drivers having to fill up for hours on end.
“Gasoline is too important for us. It’s been a nightmare for a week,” delivery driver Santiago told AFP news agency in Paris.
The crisis comes at a time of high energy prices and inflation, while TotalEnergies’ record profits have also caused trouble, prompting calls for a windfall tax.
The CGT wants a 10 percent salary increase for TotalEnergies employees.
The standoff could give a boost to a march planned by left-wing political parties on Sunday against President Emmanuel Macron’s policies and the high cost of living.
“I hope this is the spark that will trigger a general strike,” leading Green Party MP Sandrine Rousseau told Radio Franceinfo on Wednesday.
Despite warnings from some allies about the risk of strikes and demonstrations, Macron wants to push through a highly controversial pension reform by the end of winter.
Unions and left-wing political parties have vowed to try to block the reform that would raise the retirement age for most people from the current 62 to 64 or 65.
