the executive is pushing to avoid getting bogged down

Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, discusses the issue of gasoline supply during his trip to Château-Gontier, in Mayenne, on October 10, 2022. JEAN-CLAUDE COUTAUSSE FOR “THE WORLD”

A race against time. Barely returned from Algiers, Monday, October 10, Elisabeth Borne called an emergency meeting on the fuel crisis, which is taking a critical turn after ten days of social movement in refineries and depots. The Prime Minister brought together, at 9 p.m. in Matignon, the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune; that of Place Beauvau, Gérald Darmanin; the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher; as well as the government spokesman, Olivier Véran.

The challenge is, at the request of the Head of State, to resolve as quickly as possible the problem of gasoline shortages which affect a third of service stations, in particular in Hauts-de-France and in the Paris region, and which extends to the Atlantic seaboard. The executive’s concern is growing as the blockage threatens to become encysted. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) has announced the extension of the strike until Tuesday, with the aim of obtaining wage increases of around 10% to take into account inflation and the exceptional profits made by oil groups.

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At Matignon, Monday evening, M^me Terminal was shared: the State does not have to intervene in relations between companies and employees, but must respond to the very serious concern of the French. The option of requisitioning service stations and depots was debated. Mr. Darmanin pleaded in this direction, with the concern for the safety near the roads and a political glance on the Hauts-de-France, region affected by the queues at the pump and ground of election of Marine Le Pen. Olivier Véran also leaned to requisition without delay, judging the situation too eruptive in public opinion.

The Prime Minister and Mr. Beaune wanted to leave a way out for the actors concerned, like an ultimatum. “If they do not find an agreement within twenty-four or forty-eight hours, we requisition, we will no longer have a choice”, understood one participant. Earlier in the day, Elisabeth Borne had promised that” there’s [aurait] the fastest possible replenishment of service stations”.

“The government will take its responsibilities”

In the entourage of Agnès Pannier-Runacher, it was hoped, Monday evening, that the Esso-ExxonMobil group had for its part reached an agreement – ​​a meeting “inconclusive”according to Christophe Aubert, central CGT union representative quoted by Agence France-Presse – by betting on “rapid improvements”while counting on the management of TotalEnergies to respond in turn to requests for negotiation. “Otherwise the government will take its responsibilities to ensure the supply”warns this executive source.

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