Before the 17th day of the strike comes to an end, Gonfreville-l'Orcher in Normandy is once again bustling with activity.

One car after the next stops in the dark.

Men with short haircuts get out of their cars and greet each other with a handshake.

"Prise de parole," a representative of the CGT union reminds those arriving of the forthcoming speech and vote on the progress of the strike.

Some just came here this Thursday evening, others are stopping off on their way to the late shift, which currently only includes maintenance and safety work.

Niklas Zaboji

Economic correspondent in Paris

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In the end, around 50 employees gather in front of the factory gate of France's largest oil refinery.

The fact that her employer, Totalenergies, is conducting wage negotiations at the same time as the union leaders, a two-hour drive away in Paris, doesn't detract from the evening's grassroots democracy in front of France's largest oil refinery.

As in the past few days, two votes have already taken place today, at 5 a.m. for the early shift and at 1 p.m. for the late shift.

Both times, a clear majority was in favor of continuing to suspend production.

At 9 p.m. David Guillemard takes the floor.

"We are not blocking the country," asserts the local CGT delegate in a red and yellow safety vest, "but are making use of our constitutional right to strike."

If anyone blocks, then the management.

10 percent wage increase instead of the offered 6 percent is needed.

Totalenergies, which made more than 10 billion euros in net profits in the first half of the year thanks to bubbling oil and gas profits, neither wants its employees to share in the “monstrous result” and “wealth” nor compensate for inflation, Guillemard scolds.

You can't back down there.

His criticism was well received by the colleagues present.

The vote is once again clear on this evening.

A few votes against, otherwise agreement to continue the strike.

Production will therefore continue to rest in the Norman refinery for the time being.

CGT members have the majority there, so they can shut them down.

The assembly in front of the factory gate quickly breaks up.

Including administration and petrochemistry, the Totalenergies site has around 1,500 employees plus several thousand foreign workers.

Almost 20 percent of French diesel is produced here alone.

The last delivery was ten days ago

France does not come to rest with this.

First there were isolated work stoppages at corporations such as car manufacturer Stellantis, then in several nuclear power plants and now the unions have also declared next Tuesday a "national strike day", on which they want to paralyze buses, trains and metros, among other things.

Above all, the strike in the refineries keeps the Republic in suspense.

It has long since given France a “hot autumn” that many fear in Germany.

A week before the start of the school holidays, petrol and diesel are still not produced at four out of seven French sites.

In addition, six large fuel depots are idle.

In two, the authorities have already ordered some service obligations to ensure basic services and public order, and more could follow.

Many gas stations are still desperately waiting for supplies.

According to the French Ministry of Energy, almost every third petrol station nationwide still had at least one fuel unavailable on Thursday evening - despite the release of strategic reserves, increased imports and the easing of the Sunday driving ban.

According to the government, one reason for the ongoing crisis is “overconsumption” of more than 50 percent in individual sales structures, i.e. panic buying.

And even if production were to start up again in Normandy, it would probably take at least a week for the supply situation to normalize.