Europe 1 with AFP 9:16 a.m., January 26, 2023

Before the day of mobilization on January 31 against the pension reform, the strike resumed on Thursday in refineries, power stations, ports and docks.

Additional strikes organized in the energy sector.

On the side of the refineries in particular, the CGT reported 100% of strikers at the Flanders depot.

"Get even more strikers": before the national day of January 31 against pension reform, the strike resumed on Thursday and until Friday in refineries, power plants but also ports and docks.

Emmanuel Macron's reform, which all the unions oppose and which will arrive in Parliament on Monday, would lead to the abolition of special regimes at EDF or Engie (ex-GDF Suez).

Their employees would also be forced, in the long term, to wait 64 years to receive their retirement.

“Get even more strikers for the 31st”

On January 31, at the call of all the unions, the strike will affect all sectors: schools, civil servants, transport, services... But in the energy sector, the CGT is organizing additional strikes.

The CGT wants to "get even more strikers for the 31st and show that we master the working tool", explains to AFP Fabrice Coudour, federal secretary of the CGT in the energy branch.

Among electricians and gas producers, production cuts in nuclear power plants and dams were to be expected from Thursday, but they should not cause power cuts for the general public, as they are supervised by the manager of high and low power lines. very high voltage RTE.

Despite the presence of many strikers, "there were not many production cuts that night", moreover indicated Mr. Coudour on Thursday, reporting network safety messages "from the end of the day on Wednesday" .

RTE, responsible for ensuring the security of the electricity supply, can send safety messages to the strikers if it considers that the production cuts compromise the operation of the network.

It is then up to the employees to respect them.

"We wonder about the veracity of these messages," said the union official, given their publication just before the strike.

"If these are messages to guarantee commercial exchanges", the assemblies of strikers will wonder whether they should "respect them or not", he added.

At the very beginning of the day, the strikers carried out filtering operations at the entrance to the nuclear power plants, delaying the start of work for the day shifts.

"Touching the Economy"

In refineries, stopping installations is not on the agenda, but fuel shipments will be blocked to depots, with the usual watchword: "nothing goes in, nothing comes out".

At TotalEnergies, the CGT reported Thursday morning 100% of strikers at the Flanders depot (North), mobilized since Wednesday evening, 80% at the Normandy refinery, 60% at the La Mède biorefinery (Bouches-du-Rhône) , 50% at the Donges refinery (Loire-Atlantique) and 30% at the Grandpuits site (Seine-et-Marne).

On the menu of these two days of mobilization, also "positive" actions, à la Robin Hood, in energy: free, price reductions and restoration of power for cut households are to be expected, in order to counterbalance the criticisms addressed after the announcement of "targeted cuts", in particular against elected officials in favor of the reform.

As of Wednesday, cuts took place on wind and solar parks in the Montluçon sector, claimed by the CGT.

As always, Enedis will file a complaint.

“We do not want (any) blockages which would be penalizing for all French people and we do not accept any threat”, declared Wednesday the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt before the Senate, speaking of “offense” more than of "political or militant action".

The CGT oil nevertheless wants "a slightly tougher movement", indicated Thierry Defresne, CGT secretary of the TotalEnergies Europe committee.

"I don't like the term 'block', but we think that we need a generalization of the strike to affect the economy", added Mr. Defresne, who sees this as the only way to "retreat the government ", unlike 24-hour movements spaced out in time.

The tankers plan local actions with the employees of the port infrastructures, with which joint demonstrations could be organized.

The CGT federation of Ports and Docks has indeed called on dockers and port workers to a 24-hour strike on Thursday.