Protesters defy government and resume strikes against fuel crisis

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Strikes took over France on Monday over stoppages at oil depots that sparked fuel shortages. This comes after workers at refineries and depots operated by energy giant TotalEnergies extended their strike in defiance of the government. 

Leading unions faced their biggest challenge to date with French President Emmanuel Macron since he took office in May, as motorists raced to fill tanks as the fuel strike has entered its third week, and supplies are crippled at just over 30% of France's service stations. According to Reuters, the strikes have caused a reduction of France’s total refinery output by more than 60%.

The French government has expressed that it was growing tired of the protests. "The time for negotiation is over," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the BFMTV broadcaster on Monday. The government announced plans to requisition workers at the Feyzin depot in southeastern France from 2:00 pm on Monday, after using the same method at the Mardyck depot in the north.

According to the coordinator for the hard-left CGT union Eric Sellini, fuel workers said they would continue these stoppages at refineries run by TotalEnergies, after refusing a pay package agreed upon between the group's management and mainstream unions. Three out of seven of the country's oil refineries and five major fuel depots out of around 200 are also affected. 

Strike action at Esso-ExxonMobil ceased last week at the company's two French refineries after a pay deal between management and moderate unions went through. It will take approximately two weeks to resume normal supply conditions at petrol stations, per government warnings. 

Severe disruptions in transport infrastructure

Action was also declared by unions in other industries and the public sector in protest against skyrocketing energy prices and overall inflation in the cost of living. Tuesday witnessed a nationwide strike by leftist unions CGT and FO who called for higher salaries, and against government requisitions of oil installations that would threaten public transport. Many businesses have reduced travel and deliveries, and even emergency vehicles are running low on supplies.

Transport Minister Clement Beaune said that rail operator SNCF will experience "severe disruptions" with half of train services canceled. Suburban services in Paris in addition to buses will also be affected, as confirmed by operator RATP, but the inner-Paris metro system would remain mainly unimpacted. Unions expect to motivate workers in sectors such as food and healthcare, said CGT boss Philippe Martinez to France Inter Radio.  

The war in Ukraine and Macron's inability to secure an overall majority in June legislative polls both add to the pressure as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday in Paris to protest the cost of living, which was enticed by left-wing political opposition and led by the head of the France Unbowed (LFI) party, Jean-Luc Melenchon.  

Baton charges and teargas were fired at the crowds by security forces while on the sidelines, masked men dressed in black hijacked a bank. Yellow fluorescent vests were donned by some protesters to represent the symbol of the violent anti-government protests in 2018 that shook Macron's government. 

Speaking to the crowd, Melenchon said: "We're going to have a week the likes of which we don't see very often," as organizers claimed 140,000 people attended the march, while police state there were merely 30,000.