10:14 PM
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Paris – (dpa):
Labor strikes in protest against the draft pension reform in France have halted work at three oil refineries run by the French company Total Energies.
Bloomberg news agency quoted a statement from the company as saying that it cannot transport fuel such as diesel (diesel) and gasoline from the Dong and Gonverve refineries on the west coast of France, in addition to the Vizy refinery in the southeast of the country.
France’s trade unions are leading a second day of strikes and protests on Tuesday against raising the retirement age.
Bloomberg reported that the national railway company said it expects to operate a third of high-speed train trips, and urged citizens to work from home.
Subway traffic in the capital was disrupted, and most schools were closed.
Air France said it had canceled 10% of short-haul flights.
French President Emmanuel Macron faced the biggest protests since he took office on January 19, when unions mobilized more than 1.1 million people on the streets.
Macron has pledged to proceed with the implementation of his program, as retreating from that would jeopardize an essential part of his strategy to work on the financial stability of France and improve the ability of its economy to grow and provide job opportunities.
Bloomberg indicated that the disruption of wholesale fuel deliveries in France comes days before the start of the European ban on fuel imports from Russia, which will deprive the European market of the largest source of diesel.
According to Total, about 55% of the morning shift workers in refineries and distribution points participated in the strike, compared to 65% in the previous strike on January 19.
