No gas at filling stations in France due to strike by Zuzana Zelenakova

France´s Total is the sixth biggest oil company in the world and these days it faces a similar problem as for example German Lufthansa or Air France, a strike. Talks between the company´s management and the unions representing refinery workers have led nowhere so far and all six Total´s oil refineries in France remain closed for an indefinite amount of time. The half-term holidays at schools begin and people are more likely to travel. After the weekend several gas stations in Rennes and Toulouse reported they have run out of oil. According to Total, 119 out of 2,000 Total and Elf filling stations in Francehave run out of at least one type of gas. However, Fr! ench Industry Minister Christian Endrosi assured that no petrol shortages will be felt. “The government will take measures so that France will not get stuck,” he said. Workers from Total´s French refineries and fuel depots have been on a strike for six days now and Total claims it has enough fuel in stock for now, although it refused to specify for how long will this supply last. Workers initiated the strike due to concerns about the future of the Dunkirk refinery. Government concerned with the possible public unrest due to shortages pushed Total to the wall to secure the jobs. As a result, Total agreed not to close Dunkirk plant permanently or cut any jobs. However, it did not confirmed that it will maintain the refining activity there, which means there is a lot of fuss ahead concerning restructuring of the jobs. The government occupied also by the French airline Air France strike arranged meetings with Total´s top executives as a response. President! Nicolas Sarkozy met with the company´s chairman Thierry ! Desmares t on Monday, and Industry Minister met with Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie on Sunday.

related story (sgx16552): http://www.france24.com/en/20100223-french-filling-stations-...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

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