The group must very quickly and concretely reassure employees

The iron arm between the direction of Total and the CGT rises a notch. After launching an unlimited strike week behind in Total six French refineries, the Union called for a broadening of the movement across French refinery sites.

The CGT of ExxonMobil called for a 24-hour strike today in two refineries of the Group of Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhônes) and Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon, near le Havre. "We do strike to interpellate the public authorities on the dismantling of the refinery in France," explained Rémi Armandi, delegate CGT site of Fos-sur-Mer.

Even approach the petrochemical site of the British group Ineos to Lavera (Bouches), where strike could begin tomorrow morning. The refinery Petroplus of Petit-Crown (Seine-Maritime) could also be affected on Wednesday at the end of a General Assembly. A notice of strike must also be filed tomorrow in the industrial and marine company which provides handling of crude oil and refined on the port of le Havre products.

For its part, the CFDT called for a suspension of the strike after the decision of the direction of Total advance from 29 to March 8 the central Committee of enterprise devoted in the future of the Dunkirk refinery. Holding this insufficient decision, the CGT said that it would not sign the agenda of the meeting of March 8.

A specific project

In the face, Total maintains its decision to stop the refinery at Dunkirk while seeking to meet the expectations of the Government. A few weeks ago, the tanker had delayed the announcement of the closure of the refinery after the regional at the request of the State, before returning back to its application also. The Elysee convened yesterday the President of the Board of Directors, Thierry Desmarest. "The group must very quickly and concretely, reassure employees. "It must inform them of its intentions by reopening the site as soon as the next few days: Total is able to make a project specific and dated implementation of new activities, either it must very quickly restart its refinery at Dunkirk", said yesterday the Minister of industry, Christian Estrosi, who would like specific elements on the re-industrialization of the site.

Total well discussed the construction of a possible LNG terminal, in association with EDF, but the final decision rest of the jurisdiction of the electric company. Management and unions are to meet again today to try to get out of the conflict.

The threat of a shortage of fuel also weighs on the minds, even if its impact remains quite disparate. Yesterday afternoon, 127 stations Elf and Total about 2,600 were short of fuel. In Avia, said would have no problem. Other actors are more mixed. "The profession is concerned." "We meet difficulties on the Atlantic facade, the Centre region and the North of the France", says Alexandre de Benoist, of the Union of oil importers (IPU), Cora, Carrefour, Auchan and Casino. BP, 50 stations on 400 had a tank dry yesterday morning before things fit into current day order. "In some places, demand has doubled", said Jean - Nicolas nails, of BP France. "The problem is that everyone wants trucks at the same time," it adds in Esso.

Tomorrow, the pressure may yet ride if strike extends to other refineries. According to the French Union of petroleum industries, it remains "between 7 and 10 days" of stocks available. Yesterday, the Department of energy was nevertheless "a good resistance of the logistics system with the observed tension."