French police used water cannons and tear gas to break up a picket that was blocking access to a large oil refinery in the southern port area of Marseille, as Prime Minister Manuel Valls told the unions that "enough is enough." Valls went on to say that if labor unions continue to picket and disrupt fuel supplies, that they would be dealt with "extremely firmly."
Valls has changed his tone on the matter, as the unions have exhibited that they can in fact disrupt fuel supplies around the country. Unions have been striking and blocking fuel supplies from being delivered ever since the government bypassed parliament and enacted unpopular labor reforms earlier this month. Rationing at many of the roughly 12,000 gas stations nationwide has already begun as the pickets have started to create significant fuel shortages in the country.
The government has said that there are enough emergency fuel reserves if necessary, but has taken a firm approach to breaking up the pickets as now all 8 French refineries have gone on strike, and Exxon's Gravenchon refinery reports being down 50%, as it states that the plant isn't halted but no petroleum is being delivered.
CGT union boss Philippe Martinez said that the strikes will continue until the labor law is withdrawn, and that the government was "playing a dangerous game" by refusing to back down on the reforms.
"We'll see this through to the finish, to withdrawl of the labor law. This government which has turned its back on its promises and we are now seeing the consequences."
40 busloads of riot police took part in breaking up the strike outside of the Fos-sur-Mer refineries, which CGT union member Emmanuel Lepine called "unprecedented violence.", also noting that the plan to disrupt fuel supplies is working "output is going to fall by at least 50 percent."
As if the disruption in fuel supplies wasn't enough, the CGT has also called weekly strikes on the SNCF state railways and an open-ended strike on the Paris underground and suburban commuter train networks from June 2, a week befor ethe Euro 2016 soccer tournament opens.
Bloomberg has more:
- *Prime Minister pledges further state intervention after Fos, near Marseille, unblocked by force
- *CGT: ALL 8 FRENCH REFINERIES ARE ON STRIKE
- *Exxon’s Gravenchon in Normandy down by >50%
- *Plant’s units not halted but it’s not delivering petroleum
Alas, contrary to what Prime Minister Valls would like everyone to believe, it appears that he does not have the situation "fully under control."
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