More coercive measures expected if ‘tight supply situation’ continues in France

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has said there could be further coercive measures by the government in the event of a “very tight supply situation” at gas stations.

“If the situation remains very tense on Monday, more workers would be ordered to duty,” Borne told TF1 television Sunday evening.

The prefects in Flanders (Hauts-de-France) and Feyzin (Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes) have taken measures to force TotalEnergies employees to work, Liberation newspaper reported.

While the strikes at the Esso-ExxonMobil refineries ended Friday, they are continuing on Monday at TotalEnergies refineries following a call by the CGT, one of the five major trade unions in France.

The majority of unions have reached an agreement on wage increases.

Also this weekend, 30% of gas stations reported they were short on at least one fuel.

France could be in for a critical week, as many unions, including CGT and FO, have called for a general strike for Tuesday.

Source: Anadolu Agency