The government ready to “take its responsibilities”, warns Matignon

For a precise plan to end the crisis, it will be necessary to go back. Unions and management of oil refineries blocked in France must dialogue to end the fuel shortage as soon as possible, otherwise the government “will take its responsibilities”, warned Matignon after a crisis meeting Monday evening , while the strike was renewed in several blocked refineries of TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil.

“A wage disagreement does not justify blocking the country. To refuse to discuss is to make the French the victims of a lack of dialogue, ”commented to AFP the entourage of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

“The government cannot allow the country to be blocked”, it was insisted: “It will continue to take measures to facilitate the supply of stations as it has been doing for several days”, but “everyone must take their responsibilities. The government will take its own”.

A third of stations affected

The head of government, who had just returned from a trip to Algiers, brought together several emergency ministers from 9:00 p.m. in Matignon, while nearly a third of French stations are still affected by fuel shortages caused by the blockages. refineries of TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil.

Despite repeated calls from the government to negotiate on wages and to end the blockades, the CGT and the management of TotalEnergies have not been able to reach an agreement. The strike also continues in the two French refineries of Esso-ExxonMobil, after a meeting with the management described as “inconclusive” by Christophe Aubert, central CGT union representative.

According to a participant in the meeting at Matignon, the scenario favored by the government would be that the negotiations undertaken at Esso-ExxonMobil encourage TotalEnergies to go in turn towards discussions, by seizing the pole extended by the union calls to negotiate. The blockages could then cease.

According to this source, no decision was taken Monday evening as to the measures that the executive could take in the event of continued blockages. “All decisions are potentially made quickly,” she said.