The management of TotalEnergies proposes that negotiations on wage increases begin in October instead of mid-November.
The TotalEnergies group, struggling with the CGT in a social tussle, has proposed that negotiations on wage increases, demanded by the union, begin in October, while Esso-ExxonMobil intends to bring the unions together on Monday.
«TotalEnergies calls on everyone to take responsibility so that the company can supply the French (with fuel) in the best conditionssays the oil company. For its part, the CGT, which renewed its strike movement this Sunday, said it was ready this Sunday to start negotiations on Monday, while the strike is causing supply disruptions everywhere in France. “We are going to study the proposals closely and meet tomorrow morning with the various sites to decide on the continuation of the movement”, reacted Eric Sellini, CGT coordinator at TotalEnergies, regretting that management did not have a direct exchange with the union.
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Originally, discussions were to begin in mid-November. But faced with the tensions generated by the fuel shortage, TotalEnergies has therefore decided to bring forward the date of the negotiations. The government and the presidential majority are increasing their speeches to put pressure on the management and the CGT. “The strike penalizes the French who work“, declared this Sunday Aurore Bergé, deputy La Renaissance.
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These negotiationswill make it possible to define how employees will be able to benefit, before the end of the year, from the exceptional results generated by TotalEnergies, while also taking into account inflation for the year 2022“, assures the French group, which made $ 10.6 billion in profit in the first half of 2022. He recalls that it had already been agreed with the social partners to advance these mandatory annual negotiations to November 2022 (NAO )”for French employees of the Common Social Base of TotalEnergies and not to wait until January 2023 as is usually the case».
While many service stations are still experiencing supply disruptions, the CGT of TotalEnergie had sent an open letter to its CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, on Saturday, in which it made a concession in the hope of starting negotiations on Monday. The union proposed to limit the discussions to the single question of wage increases, putting aside for the moment its demands in terms of hiring and investments. “If we start negotiations, it will be on the basis of our demands: we are asking for a 10% increase in wages», and let it be «applied on January 1 and retroactive to 2022“, however, specified Eric Sellini, CGT coordinator at TotalEnergies.
Esso-ExxonMobil optimistic about “a quick exit from the conflict”
For its part, the management of Esso-ExxonMobil in France announced Sunday evening in a press release its intention to meet on Monday “the four trade union organizations representing the staff”. The group, whose two refineries in France are shut down, says to itself “convinced (that) the quality of the engaged and uninterrupted social dialogue with the staff representative organizations will make it possible to quickly resolve the conflict”.
Salary discussions started at Esso France on September 20. The proposal currently on the table has only been approved by the CFE-CGC. The French branch of the American group called on Sunday for an end to the strike.
The strike movement initiated ten days ago in the refineries and fuel depots of TotalEnergies and the American group Esso-ExxonMobil was renewed early Sunday morning and then again at 2 p.m. by employees, said the CGT at AFP. On the side of TotalEnergies, the group’s largest refinery, based in Normandy, that of Feyzin (Rhône), the “bio-refineriesof La Mède (Bouches-du-Rhône) and the Flandres fuel depot near Dunkirk (North) arealways completely shut down“, According to the CGT.