The hardening of the positions of the FNME-CGT has something to give cold sweats to the French. The federation of mines and energy calls indeed “to the extension of the strike in all energy companies”, she announced this Thursday, October 13. Yesterday, the Bouches-du-Rhône branch had already gone further by calling for general mobilization in all sectors to “defend the right to strike”, after the government’s announcement of recourse to the requisitioning of personnel to unblock fuel depots and supply service stations.
According to the federation, movements would affect this Thursday part of the nuclear power plants subject to work or maintenance operations. The CGT is also betting on an extension of the movement in favor of wage increases.
According to an Elabe poll for BFMTV, a small majority of French people approve of the mobilization of TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil employees (42% approve, 40% disapprove, 18% are indifferent). For political scientist Dominique Andolfatto, the CGT “knows that she cleaves”. But she “probably calculates that it’s rather positive for her”, notably “vis-à-vis its base and supporters”.
Requisitions that do not pass
“The fact of requisitioning, it set fire to the powder”, accused the secretary general of the CGT Philippe Martinez on BFMTV this Thursday morning, claiming to have told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne that the government was making a “bullshit”.
During a television interview on France 2 yesterday, President Emmanuel Macron justified the requisitions. “I am for social dialogue, I am for negotiation (…) Never for blockage”, did he declare. And warn: “If the social dialogue does not succeed in the next few hours, we will requisition”.
The government has already launched a first requisition on Wednesday at Esso-ExxonMobil Port-Jérôme / Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon (Seine-Maritime). The decree was notified by the director of the site to four employees, two for Wednesday and two for Thursday, who will be forced to come and reopen the floodgates under penalty of criminal sanctions. Philippe Martinez, who came in support of the employees, denounced a “scandalous decision” and announced the filing of a summary to oppose it. The latter will be examined this Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at the Rouen administrative court.
Another requisition was launched by the government on Thursday, at the TotalEnergies de Flandres fuel depot near Dunkirk (North), AFP learned from Matignon. “The requisition of personnel has been initiated for it to be effective at 2 p.m.” and “The government is still counting on the fact that the dialogue can resume in the coming hours between the management of the company and the representatives of the employees”it is specified.
Call for a national interprofessional strike next Tuesday
According to Céline Verzeletti, confederal secretary of the CGT, a day of national interprofessional strike should be announced by the confederation at midday on Thursday, after a meeting with the departmental unions of the union. It should take place “very likely” Tuesday, October 18. Anticipating this announcement, the FNME-CGT announced that it “will stimulate (it) and coordinate (it) the national interprofessional strike at the call of the CGT”.
Energy but also the public service, the food industry, railway workers could join forces with those of refiners. Sign of convergence to come? Wednesday evening, a rally brought together on the forecourt of the Town Hall activists CGT, FO, Solidaires and many left-wing politicians including Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Solidaires should decide this Thursday afternoon to call for the “strike next Tuesday for wage increases”, according to its general co-delegate Simon Duteil.
On the other hand, there is little chance that the CFDT or the CFTC will join the movement, both having dissociated themselves this weekend from the strikes at TotalEnergies, qualified as “preventive”. “The call to strike, what does it change in the end? It does not change anything “, declared this Thursday on France Inter the number one of the CFDT Laurent Berger, calling once again the parties to negotiate.
TotalEnergies announced this Thursday morning proposing to increase its French employees by 6% in 2023. As well as a “exceptional bonus” equivalent to one month’s salary to all of its employees worldwide. The latter would be paid in December “subject to wage agreements” in the countries and subsidiaries concerned and will be “capped for high salaries”, the group said.
(With AFP)