TotalEnergies: the CGT denounces a "blackmail" in the employment of the management with regard to the strikers

Europe 1 with AFP 4:40 p.m., March 6, 2023

The CGT of the TotalEnergies group denounced on Monday a "blackmail" on employment and investment exercised by the management of two refineries against employees wishing to strike on Tuesday against the pension reform project.

The managers of the Normandy and Feyzin refineries in the Rhône have broadcast videos internally "to say that basically, we were already emerging from a complicated period, that putting the cover back in terms of a strike would be jeopardizing the sites," Eric Sellini, CGT coordinator for the group, told AFP, denouncing "employment blackmail."

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An “investment blackmail on the environment”

At the Normandy platform, Éric Sellini denounces "investment blackmail on the environment", confirming information from BFM Business.

The Normandy refinery, at the forefront of a strike for wages last fall, had suffered a production stoppage for several weeks.

"I call on your responsibility to preserve our industrial tool which generates a lot of employment and pride. Good availability of our facilities is necessary to justify the future investments that the platform needs such as our energy transition", writes in an internal message, transmitted to AFP and authenticated by the management of the site, the director of the Normandy site, David Marion.

Call for employee responsibility

Elements of language taken up more or less by the director of the Feyzin platform, Gilles Noguérol, in a video that AFP was able to watch: underlining a heavy financial loss suffered by the refinery last year, he too made appeal to the "responsibility" of employees to "preserve" the work tool "which generates so many jobs and so much pride", considering that the future of the site "passes through technical availability, but it also passes through social availability".

"We find this kind of remarks indecent and it only increases the motivation of the comrades so that the strike movement is of magnitude", assured Éric Sellini.

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Contacted by AFP, the group's management indicated that it was "aware of the messages sent by the refinery directors to the employees on site" and assured that "it is in no way a question of investment blackmail since the investments in energy efficiency to limit our CO2 emissions are a commitment from the general management and will be maintained".

"As part of the social movement this week, TotalEnergies recalls that the company scrupulously respects the right to strike while calling on all actors to be responsible," she added.