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STRIKES

French energy giant offers pay talks in bid to end fuel strike

TotalEnergies of France said Sunday it would move up annual pay negotiations with unions if they dropped a blockade of fuel depots and refineries that has slashed petrol supplies across the country.

Published: 9 October 2022 16:57 CEST
A closed TotalEnergies petrol station
A closed TotalEnergies petrol station in Mulhouse, eastern France, on October 8, 2022. Across France, nearly one in five filling stations were short of at least one type of fuel, according to government data. Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP

Vehicle owners have faced increasingly long waits to fill up after two weeks of strikes by workers demanding higher wages in response to soaring prices.

Like other major oil companies, TotalEnergies has seen its profits soar as energy prices skyrocket during the war in Ukraine, and government officials have been pressing the company to settle the standoff.

It runs a network of around 3,500 filling stations in France, nearly a third of the total, and most of them are low on fuel or even empty for some types.

READ ALSO: France increases fuel rebates for drivers

“If the depot blockades end and with the agreement of all labour representatives, the company proposes to move forward the annual salary negotiations from November to October,” the company said.

The discussions would define “how employees will benefit from TotalEnergies’ exceptional results before the end of this year, taking into account this year’s inflation.”

On Sunday, the CGT union branch at the company — which is leading the strikes also occurring at rival Esso-ExxonMobil — said they would continue but were open to talks as soon as Monday.

“If we do start talks, it will be based on our demands: a 10 percent salary hike… retroactive for the year 2022,” Eric Sellini, the branch coordinator, told AFP.

Currently three of Total’s refineries are blocked, including its largest, in Normandy, as well as a fuel depot near Flandres in the north.

The government has already dipped into strategic stockpiles in a bid to bring relief, and fuel trucks are being exceptionally allowed to make deliveries on Sunday to replenish filling stations.

READ ALSO: France’s TotalEnergies to sell stake in war-linked Russian gas field

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games periods, some 185km of lanes on roads around Paris will be reserved for event-related traffic – here’s what you need to know.

Published: 25 June 2024 13:01 CEST
How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Between July 15th and September 11th, ‘Olympic lanes’ will be in use along certain stretches of key roads in and around Paris.

These lanes will be reserved for use by accredited vehicles to transport athletes, accredited journalists and official delegations, as well as emergency and security vehicles, cabs, ambulances and public transport.

READ ALSO Apps, reservations and flying taxis: What to know before visiting Paris this summer

The lanes will be activated on July 15, on the following roads:

  • A1 between Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Porte de la Chapelle, until September 11th;
  • A4 between Collégien and Porte de Bercy until August 13th, then from August 30th to September 8th;
  • A12 between Rocquencourt and Montigny le Bretonneux until August 13th, and again from August 27th to September 8th;
  • A13 between Porte Maillot and Rocquencourt until August 13th, then from August 27th to September 8th;
  • Boulevard périphérique, from Porte de Vanves to Porte de Bercy, via the north until August 13th, then from August 22th to September 11th;
  • Boulevard Circulaire (La Défense) until August 13th, then from August 22nd to September 11th;
  • Lanes on certain routes in Paris.

None of these roads will be closed – lanes along these routes that are not reserved for Olympic or Paralympic Games traffic are open to road users as usual.

The lanes in question will be signposted – signs, clearly marked with the words “Paris 2024”, will be in place from July 1st, and will be removed by the end of the day on September 15h. 

READ ALSO How to use Paris public transport during the Olympics

Who can use dedicated Olympic lanes?

Only vehicles and road users that have been properly accredited by the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games can travel along these lanes during the periods indicated above. 

They include:

  • vehicles of accredited persons;
  • cabs;
  • public transport vehicles;
  • vehicles designed to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility;
  • and emergency and security vehicles.

READ ALSO Who needs a QR code to get around Paris during the Olympics

All other vehicles are prohibited from using these lanes throughout the Olympic Games period. Any vehicle circulating on an Olympic lane without having received prior authorisation is liable to a fine of €135 and possible further prosecution.

Road users without Olympic accreditation are advised to be aware of possible travel issues, as more vehicles are filtered into the other lanes. Therefore it would be wise to allow a little extra time for your journey if you are using one of the listed roads during the Games period.

An interactive map, showing routes with Olympic lanes is available here. 

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