To put an end to the strikes in the refineries, the CGT is ready to abandon some demands. The union organization, which is leading the current strikes at TotalEnergies, says it is ready to start negotiations on Monday on the single issue of wage increases. She would thus leave aside her demands for hiring and investment, according to an open letter sent to the group’s CEO on Saturday. “In order to get out of the deadlock situation, we reiterate our request to open negotiations, hoping that you will finally hear it. We are ready to start them on Monday on the basis of our wage demand alone”writes Éric Sellini, CGT coordinator at TotalEnergies, in this letter addressed to the group’s CEO, Patrick Pouyanné and posted on Twitter.
The CGT demands a 10% increase over 2022 – 7% for inflation, 3% for “wealth sharing” while the group made $10.6 billion in profit in the first half. For its part, management recalls that it has granted salary measures representing an average increase of 3.5% in 2022 and refers to a negotiation session scheduled for November 15 for salaries for 2023. It seems inflexible on this timetable. In addition to the wage increase, the CGT had been demanding for several months a “hiring thaw” in France and “a massive investment plan” in France.
“We went very quickly to remunerate the shareholders”
“If that can make things happen, we are leaving aside for the moment the problem of jobs and that of investments”Mr. Sellini told theAFP. In particular, the union demanded “to review in depth the issue of temporary work and short contracts”Mr. Sellini added. “The country’s shortage situation, a consequence of the impossibility of discussing wage measures with the management, is causing great discontent, and threatens to slow down the country’s economy”adds the mail to justify this concession, also recalling the government’s support for wage increases.
“The employees of our company, through their work, have enabled the Group to obtain stratospheric profits”continues his letter. “Proof of this is the ability of the general management to very quickly release an exceptional envelope of 2.62 billion euros for shareholders.” “We went very quickly to remunerate the shareholders but we tell the employees that it is urgent to wait: why this difference in treatment?”asked Thierry Defresne, CGT secretary of the TotalEnergies European committee, joined by theAFP. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné has not spoken publicly about the strike so far, but in an internal group video on Tuesday he acknowledged that “the company’s results are exceptional in 2022” and declared “we won’t forget you”. Asked Saturday about France Interthe secretary general of the CFDT Laurent Berger for his part disapproved of these “preventive strikes”judging it necessary to go through negotiation first.
(with AFP)