Posted Oct 16, 2022 2:25 PMUpdated Oct 16, 2022 3:32 PM
Criticized for its management of the fuel crisis, the government is trying to regain control. The Minister Delegate for Public Accounts thus attacked this Sunday, October 16 the CGT, which maintains the strike movement in the refineries and depots of TotalEnergies despite the majority agreement on wages signed by other unions, speaking of a situation ” unacceptable”.
“Some trade unionists sometimes give the impression of sitting on the interests of millions of French people”, denounced the tenant of Bercy, guest of the program Grand Rendez-Vous Europe1 – CNews – “Les Echos”. “What is unacceptable are these blocking situations even though majority agreements have been reached […] I find this incomprehensible,” the minister continued.
Fuel shortages
Despite the signing by the CFDT and the CFE-CGC of an agreement recording an overall increase of 7% for the employees of the refineries and depots of TotalEnergies, five sites remained on strike this Sunday, the CGT demanding an envelope of wage increases superior. The government announced that 27.3% of service stations were still out of supply on at least one product on Saturday.
On this point, Gabriel Attal promised “a gradual return to normal” after the requisition decisions, even if he concedes that there are “regions where the situation is different”, citing the difficulties in Ile-de- France and in the Centre-Val de Loire. “In twenty-four hours, following the requisitions of the strikers, you have 9,000 m3 of fuel that were able to come out of the depots, it is the equivalent of 110,000 or 120,000 full tanks for French people”, explained the minister, adding “that it will take several days before the situation improves”.
Cost of Amendments
This is not the only point of tension for the government, which has also had to manage for a few days the hectic debates around the finance bill for 2023. Since the start of the parliamentary examination last Wednesday, the oppositions have succeeded in vote several amendments against the government’s opinion. This represents “nearly 8 billion euros in lower revenue or additional expenditure since the start of the week, or 1.5 billion per day”, denounced Gabriel Attal. The government was also defeated by amendments from its Modem ally, but the minister only sees this as proof of “a living majority”.
However, the Minister Delegate for Public Accounts does not want to hasten recourse to 49.3 for the adoption of the text without a vote. “We have debated about fifty hours in the hemicycle since the beginning of the week, it is the opposite of blocking or of the passage in force. I want us to go as far as possible in the debate, ”assured the tenant of Bercy. Theoretically, the debates are supposed to last until Wednesday, October 19. “49.3 is not a moment of brutality, it is a moment of truth,” he added.