SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
French Strike Hits Fuel Supplies
Petrol stations across France are running out of fuel as refinery and
port workers continue a strike against the government's plan to raise
the retirement age.
Around 1,500 petrol stations attached to French shopping centres had dried up by Monday morning, the AFP news agency reported.
It said the petrol stations supply the majority of the country's motorists.
Oct 18, 2010
Petrol stations across France are running out of fuel as refinery and
port workers continue a strike against the government's plan to raise
the retirement age.
Around 1,500 petrol stations attached to French shopping centres had dried up by Monday morning, the AFP news agency reported.
It said the petrol stations supply the majority of the country's motorists.
"Twenty to 25 per cent of our distribution capacity is either stopped
or in trouble," Alexandre de Benoist, a senior official with Union of
Independent Petroleum Importers, which represents the sector, said.
He said the situation was "very worrying" in some regions with fuel
distribution stations on strike or blockaded by workers from other
sites.
"There are at least 1,500 stations that have run out of at least one fuel product or are totally dry," he said.
France has around 12,500 petrol stations, with 4,500 of those attached to supermarkets or shopping centres.
More protests planned
France's UFIP oil industry lobby has said France could see serious
fuel-supply problems by mid-week, meaning the government may have to
look at tapping emergency reserves.
Nationwide strikes over the pension changes have spread to the
country's 12 oil refineries over the past seven days, adding to the
impact of a three-week-long strike at France's largest oil port,
Fos-Lavera, over working conditions and a port overhaul.
However, government ministers have sought to assuage fears, saying that the country has plenty of fuel.
"The government is in control," Christian Estrosi, the industry minister, told RTL radio on Monday.
"There will be no blockade for companies, no blockade for transport and no blockade for road users."
Majority support
Unions are stepping up action in the run-up to a senate vote on the
pension bill due to take place on Wednesday, with major demonstrations
expected to take place on Tuesday.
A majority of the French support the protests against planned
legislation to raise the minimum and full retirement ages by two years
to 62 and 67 respectively, a measure the government says is the only way
to rein in a growing pension deficit.
Lorry drivers joined in the strike on Sunday, blocking roads and
staging go-slow operations on highways, while rail unions announced new
strikes from Monday.
High-school students are also continuing protests.
The main points of the pension bill have passed through both houses
of parliament and following the next senate votel could soon be signed
into law.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Petrol stations across France are running out of fuel as refinery and
port workers continue a strike against the government's plan to raise
the retirement age.
Around 1,500 petrol stations attached to French shopping centres had dried up by Monday morning, the AFP news agency reported.
It said the petrol stations supply the majority of the country's motorists.
"Twenty to 25 per cent of our distribution capacity is either stopped
or in trouble," Alexandre de Benoist, a senior official with Union of
Independent Petroleum Importers, which represents the sector, said.
He said the situation was "very worrying" in some regions with fuel
distribution stations on strike or blockaded by workers from other
sites.
"There are at least 1,500 stations that have run out of at least one fuel product or are totally dry," he said.
France has around 12,500 petrol stations, with 4,500 of those attached to supermarkets or shopping centres.
More protests planned
France's UFIP oil industry lobby has said France could see serious
fuel-supply problems by mid-week, meaning the government may have to
look at tapping emergency reserves.
Nationwide strikes over the pension changes have spread to the
country's 12 oil refineries over the past seven days, adding to the
impact of a three-week-long strike at France's largest oil port,
Fos-Lavera, over working conditions and a port overhaul.
However, government ministers have sought to assuage fears, saying that the country has plenty of fuel.
"The government is in control," Christian Estrosi, the industry minister, told RTL radio on Monday.
"There will be no blockade for companies, no blockade for transport and no blockade for road users."
Majority support
Unions are stepping up action in the run-up to a senate vote on the
pension bill due to take place on Wednesday, with major demonstrations
expected to take place on Tuesday.
A majority of the French support the protests against planned
legislation to raise the minimum and full retirement ages by two years
to 62 and 67 respectively, a measure the government says is the only way
to rein in a growing pension deficit.
Lorry drivers joined in the strike on Sunday, blocking roads and
staging go-slow operations on highways, while rail unions announced new
strikes from Monday.
High-school students are also continuing protests.
The main points of the pension bill have passed through both houses
of parliament and following the next senate votel could soon be signed
into law.
Petrol stations across France are running out of fuel as refinery and
port workers continue a strike against the government's plan to raise
the retirement age.
Around 1,500 petrol stations attached to French shopping centres had dried up by Monday morning, the AFP news agency reported.
It said the petrol stations supply the majority of the country's motorists.
"Twenty to 25 per cent of our distribution capacity is either stopped
or in trouble," Alexandre de Benoist, a senior official with Union of
Independent Petroleum Importers, which represents the sector, said.
He said the situation was "very worrying" in some regions with fuel
distribution stations on strike or blockaded by workers from other
sites.
"There are at least 1,500 stations that have run out of at least one fuel product or are totally dry," he said.
France has around 12,500 petrol stations, with 4,500 of those attached to supermarkets or shopping centres.
More protests planned
France's UFIP oil industry lobby has said France could see serious
fuel-supply problems by mid-week, meaning the government may have to
look at tapping emergency reserves.
Nationwide strikes over the pension changes have spread to the
country's 12 oil refineries over the past seven days, adding to the
impact of a three-week-long strike at France's largest oil port,
Fos-Lavera, over working conditions and a port overhaul.
However, government ministers have sought to assuage fears, saying that the country has plenty of fuel.
"The government is in control," Christian Estrosi, the industry minister, told RTL radio on Monday.
"There will be no blockade for companies, no blockade for transport and no blockade for road users."
Majority support
Unions are stepping up action in the run-up to a senate vote on the
pension bill due to take place on Wednesday, with major demonstrations
expected to take place on Tuesday.
A majority of the French support the protests against planned
legislation to raise the minimum and full retirement ages by two years
to 62 and 67 respectively, a measure the government says is the only way
to rein in a growing pension deficit.
Lorry drivers joined in the strike on Sunday, blocking roads and
staging go-slow operations on highways, while rail unions announced new
strikes from Monday.
High-school students are also continuing protests.
The main points of the pension bill have passed through both houses
of parliament and following the next senate votel could soon be signed
into law.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.