France's CGT union, at the core of a three week strike at TotalEnergies, walked out of wage talks on Thursday night, scuppering hopes for an end to a standoff that has disrupted everyday life as a third of petrol stations run dry.
All ongoing strikes affecting some refineries and storage sites of French oil major TotalEnergies were continuing on Friday morning, a representative of the CGT union said, after negotiations failed on Thursday night.
One in three petrol stations in the country is struggling with supplies.
"We have seen a masquerade ... the offers on the table are clearly insufficient," CGT representative Alexis Antonioli told journalists after his union left the talks.
Potential deal
A few hours later, the more moderate CFDT and CFE-CGC unions representing a majority of workers struck a deal with TotalEnergies which, if approved by union members later today, would mean a 7 percent pay rise and a bonus payment.
The CGT previously said it wanted a 10 percent wage rise, citing inflation and windfall profits made by the company resulting from a global energy crisis.
"This doesn't change anything for the mindset of the striking workers", said Antonioli, when asked if a wage deal without the CGT similar to the one reached recently at ExxonMobil's Esso France unit could slow the movement.
Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher on Friday said the wage deal was urgently needed, and that TotalEnergies bosses and CGT officials must pursue the talks despite the setback.
The government has requisitioned a number of employees at a TotalEnergies depot and Esso-ExxonMobil refinery, both in the north of France.
The CGT union fought the requisition orders in court, calling them an illegal move against the right to labour action.
A court in Rouen rejected their case on Friday.
Pannier-Runacher said the government was not planning to issue more back-to-work orders at this stage.
Call for nationwide strike
"The company is in good shape and shareholders have been rewarded for a long time," Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT union, told FranceInfo radio.
It has called for a day of action on 18 October and other unions including FO, Sud-Rail, Solidaires and FSU have called on their members to support this.
The CGT is seeking to use the refinery workers' protests as the starting point for nationwide industrial action across sectors which could hamper parts of the country's infrastructure this autumn.
Strikes are already underway at some of EDF's nuclear reactors, and union branches including in the railway and automotive sectors announced they would take part in a wider strike planned for next Tuesday.
TotalEnergies on Thursday offered to hold wage talks despite the ongoing strikes, less than a day after Macron's government told the group, which has earned bumper profits as energy prices have soared, to pay its workers more.
(with Reuters)
