A strike by workers at the French port of Marseille’s oil terminals entered its 14th day, stranding 53 ships and forcing a refinery to begin shutting down.
Total SA’s La Mede refinery began shutting down this morning because of a lack of crude oil supply, a process that takes a few days, said Florent Segura, a spokesman for the company. Total’s Feyzin refinery could also be affected if the strike continues, Segura said. He didn’t have a date on which Feyzin might begin shutting down.
A wider transport strike, including ports, has been called beginning Oct. 12. The CGT union has also called for refinery workers to strike that day, Charles Foulard, a CGT union spokesman, said in a telephone interview today.
“For the moment there are no fuel supply problems,” said Yves le Goff, a spokesman for the refiners’ organization Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres. For predictions beyond that, “everything depends on what happens Tuesday,” he said.
Total SA, Exxon Mobil Corp., Ineos Group Holdings Plc, and LyondellBasell Industries NV have plants in southeastern France that account for 31 percent of French refining capacity.
Workers at the oil hub are protesting a law on French port operations as well as plans by the government to increase the retirement age. The port has said “all guarantees” have been given for the strike to end.
Workers at merchandise terminals of Marseille-area ports were also on strike today, blocking a total of 11 cargo ships, six container ships and three barges, the port authority said in an e-mailed statement.
Other Locations
There are also strikes this weekend at the ports of Marseille, Dunkirk and Saint-Nazaire, CGT’s Foulard said. Union workers at Total’s Donges refinery, in western France, voted on Friday to follow the strike call for Oct. 12, Foulard said.
The CGT union’s national port workers branch said last week that the Marseille-area strike was due to “local problems” and called for a strike on Oct. 12 at the ports, as well as cutting back hours and eliminating overtime and weekend shifts.
The Marseille docks have been affected by stoppages in recent years as unions resisted efforts to move jobs to the private sector.
A 12-day strike at the oil hub in December 2008 cost refineries 26 million euros ($36 million), including 15 million euros related to vessel delays and 11 million euros in lost revenue, UFIP estimated at the time. A strike at the oil terminals in March 2007 lasted 17 days.
Total SA’s La Mede refinery began shutting down this morning because of a lack of crude oil supply, a process that takes a few days, said Florent Segura, a spokesman for the company. Total’s Feyzin refinery could also be affected if the strike continues, Segura said. He didn’t have a date on which Feyzin might begin shutting down.
A wider transport strike, including ports, has been called beginning Oct. 12. The CGT union has also called for refinery workers to strike that day, Charles Foulard, a CGT union spokesman, said in a telephone interview today.
“For the moment there are no fuel supply problems,” said Yves le Goff, a spokesman for the refiners’ organization Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres. For predictions beyond that, “everything depends on what happens Tuesday,” he said.
Total SA, Exxon Mobil Corp., Ineos Group Holdings Plc, and LyondellBasell Industries NV have plants in southeastern France that account for 31 percent of French refining capacity.
Workers at the oil hub are protesting a law on French port operations as well as plans by the government to increase the retirement age. The port has said “all guarantees” have been given for the strike to end.
Workers at merchandise terminals of Marseille-area ports were also on strike today, blocking a total of 11 cargo ships, six container ships and three barges, the port authority said in an e-mailed statement.
Other Locations
There are also strikes this weekend at the ports of Marseille, Dunkirk and Saint-Nazaire, CGT’s Foulard said. Union workers at Total’s Donges refinery, in western France, voted on Friday to follow the strike call for Oct. 12, Foulard said.
The CGT union’s national port workers branch said last week that the Marseille-area strike was due to “local problems” and called for a strike on Oct. 12 at the ports, as well as cutting back hours and eliminating overtime and weekend shifts.
The Marseille docks have been affected by stoppages in recent years as unions resisted efforts to move jobs to the private sector.
A 12-day strike at the oil hub in December 2008 cost refineries 26 million euros ($36 million), including 15 million euros related to vessel delays and 11 million euros in lost revenue, UFIP estimated at the time. A strike at the oil terminals in March 2007 lasted 17 days.